Department for Transport

South Eastern Rail Franchise

Sir David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 17 December to Question 201123 on the South Eastern Rail Franchise, what steps he is taking to ensure that there will not be a delay in the new operator taking over in April 2019.

Andrew Jones: Officials at my Department are working to deliver the best outcome for passengers and the taxpayer. I have asked them to balance the importance of delivering the competition programme in a timely manner, alongside ensuring the successor franchisee will deliver the greatest benefits for passengers and taxpayers having been identified through the most robust process possible.

Department for Transport: Motor Vehicles

Andy McDonald: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, pursuant to the Answer of 1 November 2018 to Question 184986 on Department for Transport: Motor Vehicles, in which years the 21 Ultra-Low Emission Vehicles that are owned by his Department and its agencies were purchased.

Jesse Norman: The following table shows the years that the ultra low emission vehicles (ULEVs) referred to in the PQ of 1 November 2018 were procured. Year Number of ULEVs purchased by DfT and its agencies. 2010120157201682017320182  Since 1 November 2018 the Government Car Service has purchased an additional eight ultra low emission vehicles, bringing the total for DfT and its agencies to 29.

Department for Transport: Brexit

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will make an estimate of the (a) cost to the public purse of and (b) money spent on the infrastructure required to prepare for the UK leaving the EU without a deal.

Chris Grayling: My Department spent a total of £6.6m between 2016/17 and 2017/18 preparing for all EU Exit scenarios. In this financial year we are forecasting to spend up to £75.8m for all scenarios.

Railway Stations: Disability

Kirstene Hair: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what discussions his Department has had with the Scottish Government on increasing step-free access at rail stations in (a) Angus and (b) Scotland.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: My officials and Transport Scotland discuss railway station accessibility at least monthly as part of the governance of the Access for All programme. We have made a further £300m available for Access for All and the Scottish Government have nominated a number of stations from across Scotland for this new funding. We intend to announce the successful stations in April next year.

Large Goods Vehicles: Parking

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will publish the areas in Kent that have received a notification from Highways England in relation to their suitability for lorry parking.

Jesse Norman: As part of its work on Operation Brock, Highways England has written to over 1,000 landholders along the M2/A2 and M20/A20 corridors in Kent to seek permission to access their land for ecological surveys. These surveys are required for Highways England to gain a better understanding of the local environment, and should not be taken to indicate that any decisions have been taken. Further information will be published by Highways England early next year as potential options are explored as part of the planning process.

Large Goods Vehicles

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if his Department has plans to legalise longer heavier vehicles.

Jesse Norman: The Department has no plans to increase the maximum length or weight of vehicles allowed in general circulation. The Department is running a trial of longer semi-trailers, which have the same maximum weight as a standard articulated lorry, but are longer. The Department has published annual evaluations of the trial, most recently in September 2018.

Mersey Gateway Bridge: Tolls

Faisal Rashid: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will end the toll on the Mersey Gateway Bridge.

Jesse Norman: The Government has no plans to end tolling on the Mersey Gateway Bridge. This is a responsibility for Halton Borough Council.

Department for Transport: Migrant Workers

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of his Department paying the £65 application fee for settled or pre-settled status for EU nationals (a) employed by and (b) working as an outsourced worker in his Department; what estimate he has made of the total cost to his Department of paying those fees; and what assessment he has made of the risks that the EU Settlement Scheme poses to the retention of EU nationals (i) employed by or (ii) working as an outsourced worker in his Department.

Chris Grayling: The UK Government currently does not plan to pay the Settled Status Fee for its non-UK EU citizen employees. The fee is set at an affordable rate (£65), less than the cost of an UK passport.● Outsourced workers are not employees of the Department and therefore this would be a decision for their employers.● The number of non-UK EU citizens employed across the Civil Service is not consistently collected across Government. It is therefore not possible to estimate the cost of paying the settled status fee for non-UK EU nationals employed directly by the department.● We value the significant contribution made by EU citizens working in the Civil Service and we want these colleagues to continue to play a full role in the work of the Civil Service. We are committed to supporting our EU citizen employees across the Civil Service, the important engagement with EU national networks across government will continue over the coming months.

High Speed 2 Railway Line

Tulip Siddiq: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, who will be liable for damage to buildings above the High Speed Two London tunnel route during its construction; and whether repairs resulting from such damage will be made (a) before, (b) during or (c) after construction.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The nominated undertaker (HS2 Ltd) is responsible for any damage to buildings above the HS2 London tunnel route resulting from its works. Claims can be made at any time by a property owner, and depending on the nature of the claim and the impact on the property, repairs may be made during or after construction. More information can be found in HS2 Ltd’s Information Paper C3: Ground Settlement, which forms part of High Speed Rail (London to West Midlands) Act 2017, available at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/672194/C3_-_Ground_Settlement__v1.pdf

Shipping: Standards

Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the report entitled Seafarers in the UK Shipping Industry: 2018, published by his Department on 12 December 2018, which sector of the UK shipping industry accounted for the 23 per cent increase in ratings.

Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the report entitled Seafarers in the UK Shipping Industry: 2018, published by his Department on 12 December 2018, what the changes were in the coverage of data provided by the UK Chamber of Shipping that accounted for the 23 per cent increase in ratings between 2017 and 2018.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: Several different factors will be influencing the 23% increase in the number of ratings active at sea in 2018. These include the changing membership of UK Chamber of Shipping and a large company changing the nature of its operations in the UK in that year. The largest increases were in the catering, hotel and other categories.

Passenger Ships: Standards

Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, What steps he is taking to increase the number of UK Ratings employed in the cruise industry in (a) deck and (b) engine roles.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The Department has a number of initiatives to promote employment of UK seafarers at all ranks and across all sectors. For ratings these include: the training link in UK Tonnage Tax and apprenticeships. The Government values apprenticeships as a route to obtaining the skills needed for the future workforce. The Department is also leading the Government’s Year of Engineering campaign, which is committed to boosting engineering skills across the UK and which has had a number of maritime partners. We are keen to see more people at all levels entering the industry and enjoying a career in the maritime area. In our “Maritime 2050” strategy we recognise the importance of our people in the maritime workplace, whether at sea or on land. Consequently people is one of the seven themes in which we set out our long term plans for the UK maritime sector. The Ratings Taskforce was reconvened to look at promotion of ratings training and employment opportunities. The group comprised representatives from industry and the unions and has now merged with the MNTB Futures Group which will continue this work. We must ensure that the sector as a whole has the skilled staff it needs to maintain the UK’s position as a leading maritime nation.

Ferries: Registration

Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, If he will take steps to protect employment for UK (a) Ratings and (b) Officers as a result of P&O Ferries’ decision to register its short sea fleet between Dover and Calais under the Cypriot flag.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: While I am disappointed that P&O have taken this decision I understand that it is for commercial reasons and that the company will not be changing the terms and conditions of seafarers or making any seafarer redundant. I am expecting to meet with senior members of P&O in the New Year. UK ratings and officers working on P&O ferries and who have a contract of employment under GB or UK law will have their employment rights protected under UK employment legislation.

Ferries: Registration

Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent discussions he has had with the UK Ship Register in trends in vessel registration levels in the short sea ferry sector.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: I have had, and will continue to have, discussions with many ship owners and operators about the importance of the UK Ship Register.

Ferries: Tonnage Tax

Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what proportion of tonnage on the UK Ship Register in each year since 2010 was from the short sea ferry sector.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The proportion of tonnage on the UK Ship Register, at the end of March, in each year since 2010 from the short sea ferry sector was: YearGT% of Flag2018605,4843.67%2017636,7424.18%2016636,7424.28%2015683,2844.89%2014683,2844.44%2013704,1854.06%2012692,5273.90%2011716,1914.10%2010626,4163.69%

Ferries: Registration

Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what estimate his Department has made of the number of short sea ferries registered on the UK Ship Register in each year since 2010.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: The number of short sea ferries registered on the UK Ship Register, at the end of March, in each year since 2010 was: YearNumber201819201721201621201523201423201324201224201126201025

Shipping: Databases

Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will place in the Library a copy of the contract between his Department and the UK Chamber of Shipping for provision of seafarer data.

Ms Nusrat Ghani: Details of this contract can be found on the UK Government Contracts Finder website, by searching for the Seafarers Statistics Data Collection Services notice. It can be accessed via the following link: https://www.contractsfinder.service.gov.uk/Notice/1a52a01e-5eec-4b01-ab54-de5cbf4f38e6. A copy will therefore not be placed in the Library.

Dartford-Thurrock Crossing

Sir Michael Fallon: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what recent assessment his Department has made of the environmental effect of the current volume of traffic at the Dartford crossing.

Jesse Norman: Along with Dartford Borough Council and Thurrock Council, Highways England maintains air quality monitoring units near the Dartford Crossing and monitors the effect of traffic volumes.In response to concerns about air quality at the Crossing, Highways England are currently investigating options for improving air quality on the A282 approach to the Crossing.

Dartford-Thurrock Crossing

Sir Michael Fallon: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, how many vehicles used the Dartford crossing in each year since 2010; and how many vehicles his Department forecasts will use the Dartford crossing in 2027.

Jesse Norman: Highways England does not hold data for vehicles using the Dartford Crossing prior to 2014. The figures from Highways England for 2014 onwards are as follows:  During charging hours onlyAll Hours201443,877,25949,931,560201546,658,80653,396,502201648,113,88155,527,345201749,498,77557,341,7172018 (up until 30/11/2018)45,898,75353,251,637  How many vehicles we forecast will use the Crossing in 2027: Highways England does not hold forecast data for vehicles on the Dartford Crossing in 2027.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Business: Scotland

Kirsty Blackman: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Scotland on businesses in Scotland deploying no-deal contingency plans as a result of the Government deferring the meaningful vote on the Withdrawal Agreement.

Kelly Tolhurst: Holding answer received on 17 December 2018



Ministers in BEIS regularly speak to Scottish ministers about a wide range of issues including contingency planning. We do not want or expect a no deal scenario. We have agreed in principle the terms of the UK’s smooth and orderly exit from the EU, as set out in the Withdrawal Agreement. However, it is the duty of a responsible government to prepare business for a range of potential outcomes, and, as such, Government published 106 technical notices over the summer. Businesses have told us they will continue with no-deal contingency planning in light of these, and further guidance, until the agreement is finalised.

Post Offices: Luton

Mr Gavin Shuker: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what representations his Department has received on the closure of the main post office in central Luton.

Kelly Tolhurst: The Government sets the strategic direction for the Post Office and allows the company the commercial freedom to deliver this strategy as an independent business.  This strategy, backed by Government investment of over £2 billion since 2010, has delivered a branch network that is at its most stable and accessible in decades, with over 11,500 branches and 99.7% of the UK population living within 3 miles of their nearest branch.  This investment in the Post Office has also led to other benefits to the consumer including an extra 200,000 opening hours per week and over 7,500 modernised branches.There is no Post Office closure or privatisation programme and the Department for Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy has not received any representations on the franchising of the Post Office in Luton. The Post Office ran a 6-week public consultation from 24 October 2018 to 5 December 2018 and will write to locally elected representatives, Consumer Advocacy Bodies and respondents to the consultation on its decisions and plans.

Post Offices: Luton

Mr Gavin Shuker: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment his Department has made of the economic effect on (a) local businesses and (b) local communities of the closure of dedicated high street post offices in Luton.

Kelly Tolhurst: The Government recognises the critical role that post offices play in communities and for small businesses across the UK. This is why the Government committed to safeguard the post office network and protect existing rural services. The overall number of post offices across the UK remains at its most stable in decades with over 11,500 branches thanks to significant Government investment of over £2 billion since 2010.While the Government sets the strategic direction for the Post Office, it allows the company the commercial freedom to deliver this strategy as an independent business. There is no post office closure programme in Luton or across the UK, however, post offices are being franchised and this is an operational matter for the Post Office. I have therefore asked Paula Vennells, the Group Chief Executive of Post Office Limited, to write to the hon Member on this matter. A copy of her reply will be placed in the Libraries of the House.

Research: EU Countries

Henry Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what comparative assessment his Department has made of the level of research and development expenditure in the UK and EU member states.

Chris Skidmore: The Department regularly assesses comparative levels of R&D expenditure in the UK and EU member states. The latest ONS data estimates that overall gross R&D expenditure in the UK was £33.1bn in 2016, which was 1.7% of GDP in that year. 2017 data is due to be released in March 2019. The latest OECD international comparison of R&D expenditure ranked the UK 10th among EU nations in 2016. More details can be found here http://oe.cd/msti.

Post Offices: Standards

Mr Gavin Shuker: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment his Department has made of whether post offices that have been integrated within other stores are providing the same level of service as dedicated post office branches.

Kelly Tolhurst: The Government recognises the critical role that post offices play in communities and for small businesses across the UK. This is why the Government committed to safeguard the post office network and protect existing rural services. The overall number of post offices across the UK remains at its most stable in decades with over 11,500 branches thanks to significant Government investment of over £2 billion since 2010. While the Government sets the strategic direction for the Post Office, it allows the company the commercial freedom to deliver this strategy as an independent business. Hosting or franchising of Post Office branches an operational matter for Post Office Limited. I have therefore asked Paula Vennells, the Group Chief Executive of Post Office Limited, to write to the hon Member on this matter. A copy of her reply will be placed in the Libraries of the House.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy: Overseas Aid

Mr Bob Seely: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how much funding his Department has allocated to programmes overseas that is not part of Official Development Assistance in each of the last three years; and how much such funding his Department plans to allocate in each of the next two years.

Richard Harrington: Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Wylfa Power Station

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what recent discussions he has had with Hitachi on its investment in Wylfa nuclear power station; and if he will make a statement on the future of that project.

Richard Harrington: On the 4 June 2018, my rt. hon. the Secretary of State confirmed to Parliament that the Government has entered negotiations with Hitachi in relation to Horizon’s proposed Wylfa Newydd project, based on Anglesey in North Wales. The negotiations with Hitachi on agreeing a deal that provides value for money for consumers and taxpayers are ongoing. The Secretary of State has regular discussions with Hitachi, including during his visit to Japan in November. The Secretary of State will update the House on the status of negotiations at the appropriate point, in line with his commitment in June.

Research: EU Countries

Chris Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he has made a recent comparative assessment of the level of spending on research and development in (a) the UK and (b) EU member states; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Skidmore: The Department regularly assesses comparative levels of R&D expenditure in the UK and EU member states. The latest ONS data estimates that overall gross R&D expenditure in the UK was £33.1bn in 2016, which was 1.7% of GDP in that year. 2017 data is due to be released in March 2019. The latest OECD international comparison of R&D expenditure ranked the UK 10th among EU nations in 2016. More details can be found here http://oe.cd/msti.

Research: Health Services

Chris Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how much and what proportion of his Department's funding for research and development he allocated to the healthcare sector in each of the last three years.

Chris Skidmore: We do not currently hold data in the format which enables a direct answer to this question.

Notice Boards: Fire Regulations

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to require companies manufacturing notice boards for schools, colleges and universities to promote clear information on the product’s compliance with fire standards.

Kelly Tolhurst: Under the General Product Safety Regulations 2005 any product that is intended for or likely to be used by consumers, including where the product was originally intended for professional use, must be safe before it can be placed on to the market. Under the Consumer Protection Act 1987 producers and importers are responsible for any damage caused by an unsafe product. This will apply to any noticeboards which are for sale to businesses or public bodies, for use at work. Products used in the workplace by workers are also subject to health and safety legislation. There are no plans to legislate to require mandatory information on compliance with specific standards to be provided by manufacturers of noticeboards.

Home Energy and Lifestyle Management: Bristol North West

Darren Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many residents of Bristol North West constituency had energy improvements installed by Home Energy & Lifestyle Management Ltd.

Claire Perry: Since the start of the Green Deal, 34 households in the Bristol North West constituency had energy improvements through Home Energy Lifestyle Management Ltd.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Indonesia: Terrorism

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what diplomatic steps his Department is taking to support the Indonesian Government in tackling threats by terrorists in that country.

Mark Field: The British and Indonesian governments work closely together to tackle the threat of terrorism. We have had a Counter Terrorism capacity-building programme in Indonesia since the 2005 terrorist attack in Bali and deliver training to the Indonesian National Police through the Jakarta Centre for Law Enforcement Co-operation. Our support includes teaching a broad range of counter terrorism investigation skills. We are also working to build first response capability for the emergency services. In March 2018, we supported the Bali regional government to run a live CT exercise. Finally, we are working with the Bali police to develop a cadre of police officers able to cascade CT Security Awareness training to the tourism sector.​

Egypt: Press Freedom

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations he has made to his Egyptian counterpart on the legislation passed in that country to curb the freedom of the press and the activity of citizen journalists.

Alistair Burt: ​We regularly raise our concerns over press freedoms with the Egyptian Government both in public and in private. On 18 September we issued a statement at the UN Human Rights Council in which we raised specific concerns about 'arrests of activists, bloggers and journalists'. I also raised concerns over freedom of expression with the Egyptian Foreign Minister during my visit to Cairo on 14 October.

China: Animal Products

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations he has made to his counterpart in China on ensuring that the postponement of its decision to relax the ban on the sale of tiger bones and rhino horn will be made permanent.

Mark Field: The UK is at the forefront of international efforts to protect endangered animals from unsustainable trade. Senior officials in Beijing and London have discussed the recent adjustment to the 1993 legislation on tiger and rhino products with the Chinese authorities, including concerns that this may weaken protections for endangered animals. We welcome a recent announcement by the Chinese authorities that suggests their recent reversal of this legislation will be postponed until further studies have been completed. We continue to press the Chinese authorities for clarification on whether this will become permanent.​

Hamas: Terrorism

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment his Department has made of the terror capabilities of Hamas.

Alistair Burt: ​We remain deeply concerned by the attempts of Hamas to rearm and rebuild militant infrastructure, including the tunnel network, in Gaza. Hamas’ actions undermine efforts to improve the situation in Gaza and harm the prospects for peace and stability in the Middle East.

Antarctic: Marine Conservation Zones

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to his counterparts in (a) China, (b) Russia and (c) Norway on their recent veto of proposals to create marine conservation areas in the Weddell Sea and two other areas of the Antarctic Ocean.

Sir Alan Duncan: The UK is fully committed to establishing a representative network of Marine Protected Areas around Antarctica. At the 2018 annual Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) meeting, the UK worked with the majority of Members to seek agreement on establishing Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) in the Weddell Sea, East Antarctica and around the Antarctic Peninsula. However, an agreement could not be reached due to objections from Russia and China who have fishery interests in the area. Subsequent to the meeting, the UK has engaged with China and discussed how to move forward on MPA proposals. No discussions have yet taken place with Russia. Norway did not veto the MPA proposals in principle: their only objection was over part of the Weddell Sea proposal which they said should be delayed pending further Norwegian-led scientific research. The UK will continue to engage CCAMLR Members, if necessary at high level, to address outstanding issues.

Muhammed Fathi Abulkasem

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to his Egyptian counterpart on the (a) detention and (b) fair trial of Muhhamed Fathi Abulkasem for taking a photograph from a plane.

Alistair Burt: We welcome Muhhamed Fathi Abulkasem's recent release. Consular staff were in contact with the local authorities and supported his family.

Giulio Regeni

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to his Egyptian counterpart on the refusal of the Egyptian authorities to allow Italian investigators to add members of its security services to the list of suspects in the murder of former Cambridge student, Giulio Regeni.

Alistair Burt: ​We were appalled by the murder of Giulio Regeni in Cairo and we continue to monitor the investigation into his death. As Mr Regeni was an Italian citizen, the Italian Government is taking the lead role on his case. We are aware of allegations that the Egyptian security forces were responsible for the murder of Mr Regeni and we urge the Egyptian authorities to consider every possible scenario as they investigate. We have consistently raised our concerns and need for a full and impartial investigation into the circumstances of Mr Regeni's murder with the Egyptian authorities at Ministerial and official levels. We continue to offer our support to Italy and urge the Egyptian Government to cooperate fully with the Italian investigators in order to bring Mr Regeni's killers to justice as soon as possible.

Thailand: Elections

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he plans to send election observers to monitor the forthcoming general election in Thailand.

Mark Field: We continue to follow political developments in Thailand closely. We expect elections to be held in February 2019 in accordance with the timetable published by the Thai Election Commission. We welcome the Thai government’s lifting of political restrictions on 11 December, and hope this will lead to a free and open environment in which elections can occur. We have regular dialogue at Ministerial and senior official level with the Thai authorities and have urged them to invite international observers to monitor the upcoming elections. The Prime Minister raised this with Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-o-cha during his visit to the UK in June, as did the Minister for the Commonwealth and UN, Lord Ahmad, with the Thai Ambassador on 2 November.​

Qatar: OPEC

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if his Department will make an assessment of whether the State of Qatar's decision to withdraw from OPEC was linked to accusations from OPEC members that the State of Qatar had provided funds for Islamist extremism and the Muslim Brotherhood; and if he will make a statement.

Alistair Burt: Qatar’s decision to withdraw from the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) is an internal matter for Qatar and OPEC. Qatar’s Minister of State for Energy Affairs, Saad al-Kaabi, has publically stated that this was a strategic and not a political decision.​

China: Religious Freedom

Yasmin Qureshi: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, with reference to the findings of the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination's report of 30 August 2018 relating to the mistreatment of the Uighur community in China, what assessment he has made of the validity of those findings; and what steps he plans to take to support the Uighur community facing human rights abuses in that country.

Mark Field: We have serious concerns about the human rights situation in Xinjiang and the Chinese Government’s deepening crackdown; including credible reports of re-education camps and widespread surveillance and restrictions targeted at ethnic minorities.During China’s Universal Periodic Review at the UN Human Rights Council on 6 November, the UK made a statement which described our concern about the treatment of ethnic minorities in China, including Uyghurs. We issued a specific recommendation, calling on China to implement the recommendations by the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination on Xinjiang, and to allow the UN to monitor the implementation. We also raised our concerns about Xinjiang in our Item 4 statement at the September UN Human Rights Council, and we supported the statement of 26 October by the European External Action Service highlighting concerns about Xinjiang.I raised our concerns about Xinjiang with Vice Minister Guo Yezhou during my visit to China on 22 July 2018. The Foreign Secretary, Rt Hon Jeremy Hunt MP, also raised our concerns about the region with Chinese State Councillor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his visit to China on 30 July 2018.

Burma: China

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the effect on (a) land rights, (b) other human rights and (c) the environment of Chinese investment and infrastructure development projects in northern Myanmar.

Mark Field: Our Embassy maintains a dialogue with the Chinese Embassy in Burma about a wide range of issues, including respective investment and infrastructure development projects. However the Government has not made a specific assessment of the impact on (1) land rights, (2) human rights, or (3) the environment, of investment and infrastructure development projects by China in northern Burma.

China: Ethnic Groups

Mrs Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with his Chinese counterpart on upholding the human rights of Uighur Muslims in China; and if he will make a statement.

Mark Field: We have serious concerns about the human rights situation in Xinjiang and the Chinese Government’s deepening crackdown; including credible reports of re-education camps and widespread surveillance and restrictions targeted at ethnic minorities.During China’s Universal Periodic Review at the UN Human Rights Council on 6 November, the UK made a statement which described our concern about the treatment of ethnic minorities in China, including Uyghurs. We issued a specific recommendation, calling on China to implement the recommendations by the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination on Xinjiang, and to allow the UN to monitor the implementation. We also raised our concerns about Xinjiang in our Item 4 statement at the September UN Human Rights Council, and we supported the statement of 26 October by the European External Action Service highlighting concerns about Xinjiang.I raised our concerns about Xinjiang with Vice Minister Guo Yezhou during my visit to China on 22 July 2018. The Foreign Secretary, Rt Hon Jeremy Hunt MP, also raised our concerns about the region with Chinese State Councillor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi during his visit to China on 30 July 2018.

Russia: INF Treaty

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether his Department is considering further sanctions on Russia after that country’s material breach of its obligations under the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty.

Sir Alan Duncan: The US and other NATO Allies have repeatedly raised their concerns about Russia's violation of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty. On 4 December, NATO Foreign Ministers expressed strong support for the US finding that Russia is in material breach of the Treaty, and called on Russia to return to full, verified compliance. On the same day, the US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, announced that the US would suspend its participation in the INF-Treaty, effective in 60 days, unless Russia returns to compliance. We do not currently have plans for INF related sanctions, but will continue to use every opportunity to encourage Russia to take this final chance to preserve the Treaty, and we will consult closely with NATO Allies on the political and military implications of Russia's development and deployment of its new missiles.

Sri Lanka: Politics and Government

Liz McInnes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps the Government has taken to encourage the Sri Lankan Government to find a peaceful and lawful solution to the current constitutional crisis in that country.

Mark Field: Following the swearing in of Ranil Wickremesinghe as Prime Minister of Sri Lanka by President Sirisena on 16 December I made a statement welcoming progress made towards the peaceful resolution of the political impasse in Sri Lanka since October. This outcome is a welcome indication of the resilience of Sri Lanka's judicial and democratic institutions, and of effective checks and balances between state powers. The UK will continue to stand by Sri Lanka as a close partner and friend, supporting Sri Lanka as it works to deliver sustainable and accountable reform to reinvigorate the economy, improve governance, and safeguard human rights across the country.Prior to this, I made statements on 26 and 29 October, and on 9 November, setting out our concerns at political developments in Sri Lanka and calling for due political and legal process to be upheld. Our High Commissioner to Sri Lanka met regularly with all political parties, and expressed our concern at the behaviour of some MPs in disrupting Parliamentary proceedings.

Iraq: Foreign Relations

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with the Home Office on the effect of UK immigration policy on the UK's relations with the Iraqi Government.

Alistair Burt: ​The Foreign and Commonwealth Office regularly engages with the Home Office regarding the impact of the UK's immigration policy on the UK's relationship with Iraq. The UK remains committed to strengthening the UK-Iraq bilateral partnership.

Russia: Mass Media

Chris Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will list (a) the recipients of funding allocated from the public purse under the Counter Disinformation and Media Development Programme and (b) the amounts allocated to each recipient under the Programme in each financial year since 2015-16.

Sir Alan Duncan: The FCO's Counter Disinformation and Media Development Programme is designed to protect national security by countering disinformation directed at the UK and its Allies from Russia. Russia persistently uses disinformation to target its perceived enemies. An example was the Russian disinformation campaign that followed the attack in Salisbury, which was intended to distract from Russian culpability. Documents and correspondence about projects within the Programme will not be published, as this information could then be used actively to attempt to disrupt and undermine the Programme's effectiveness.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Russian Language

Chris Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how much funding his Department allocated to each recipient under the Russian Language Programme since financial year 2013-14.

Sir Alan Duncan: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office's Russian Language Programme was launched in 2014 following Russia's illegal annexation of Crimea. The Programme was funded from the Cross-Government Conflict, Stability, and Security Fund (CSSF). In April 2016 we launched a new four year strategic communications and media development programme, called the Counter Disinformation and Media Development Programme, designed to protect national security by countering disinformation directed at the UK and its Allies from Russia. The former Russian Language Programme was amalgamated into this. Documents and correspondence about projects within the Programme will not be published, as this information could then be used actively to attempt to disrupt and undermine the Programme's effectiveness.

Iran: Christianity

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make representations to his Iranian counterpart on the arrest of Christians for sharing their faith.

Alistair Burt: ​Despite constitutional recognition, the persecution of Christians has been continuous, systemic, and institutionalised. We regularly raise the treatment of Christians in Iran with the Iranian Government, and we continue to take action with the international community to press Iran to improve its poor record on all human rights issues.

Department of Health and Social Care

Genito-urinary Medicine: Lambeth

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what were the average waiting times to be seen by a health worker in sexual health clinics in Lambeth were in (a) 2010, (b) 2015 and 2018.

Steve Brine: Waiting times for sexual health services are not monitored centrally. Local authorities are best placed to understand and meet the public health needs of their local communities.

Electronic Cigarettes

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 5 December 2018 to Question 196229 on Electronic Cigarettes, what (a) discussions and (b) meetings his Department has held with representatives from the tobacco industry on e-cigarette regulation and policy.

Steve Brine: The Department met representatives of the tobacco industry to discuss the introduction of the Tobacco and Related Products Regulations 2016. The Department has not discussed e-cigarette policy with the tobacco industry during this period, as this would breach our commitments under the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control.

Incontinence

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what support (a) is and (b) he plans to make available on the NHS to prevent bladder leakage.

Steve Brine: NHS England understands the need for improved services and care to be consistently available for those suffering from bladder and bowel problems. NHS England published guidance on 16 November 2015 to help improve the care and experience of children and adults with continence issues. Continence problems can be debilitating, often embarrassing and can be life-changing. The guidance deliberately focuses on ensuring people with incontinence can access a timely and effective assessment rather than directing clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) to provide a particular level or type of continence aid because wherever possible we want to help people achieve continence which in many instances with the right advice, information and treatment is feasible. NHS England is currently refreshing the Excellence in Continence Care Guidance and anticipate publishing this in the next couple of months. This updated version will contain a wealth of case studies to showcase best practice and sign post to the latest evidence based practice to support system change and by utilising the CCG assurance process they will continue to monitor improvement.

Osteoporosis

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people have a diagnosis of osteoporosis.

Steve Brine: Information on the total number of people with a diagnosis of osteoporosis is not available.

Insomnia

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people have a diagnosis of insomnia.

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to tackle insomnia experienced by adults.

Steve Brine: The Department does not collect information on how many people have a diagnosis of insomnia. The majority of patients experiencing a sleep disorder, such as insomnia, are diagnosed and managed by general practitioners in primary care. Advice on managing insomnia can be found on the National Health Service website at the following link: www.nhs.uk/conditions/insomnia/

Prescription Drugs: Mental Illness

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to tackle prescription drug-related mental health disorders among the elderly.

Steve Brine: Local authorities and the National Health Service should work together to assess local needs and commission services to treat and support people who have co-occurring drug and mental health problems. Public Health England (PHE) works with local authorities, supporting the needs assessment and commissioning process, with data, guidance and other tools. These can be seen on the PHE Fingertips sites at the following links: https://fingertips.phe.org.uk/profile-group/mental-health/profile/drugsandmentalhealth https://fingertips.phe.org.uk/profile/local-alcohol-profiles

Accident and Emergency Departments: Greater London

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will publish the average waiting times at A&E Departments for (a) Guy's Hospital, (b) Kings College Hospital and (c) St George's Hospital in each year since 2010.

Stephen Hammond: This information is not collected in the format requested.

Cancer: Screening

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to assess the potential merits of the universal fingerprint test to aid the early detection of cancer.

Steve Brine: The future availability of any new or novel cancer detection processes on the National Health Service would be subject to large scale clinical trials demonstrating the safety and efficacy of the approach and subsequent assessments of its cost effectiveness for routine use.

Dermatitis

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the number of people with eczema in England.

Steve Brine: No estimate has been made.

Antidepressants

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to reduce dependence on anti-depressant drugs.

Steve Brine: I have commissioned Public Health England to review the evidence for dependence on, and withdrawal from, prescribed medicines. The review was launched in January 2018 and is due to report in spring 2019. Withdrawal is defined as discontinuation syndrome in relation to anti-depressants because there is no consensus that these drugs cause dependence. The review includes antidepressants and short term discontinuation or longer term withdrawal symptoms associated with prescribed medicines. More information about the review, including its scope and the methods that will be used, is available at the following link: www.gov.uk/government/news/prescribed-medicines-that-may-cause-dependence-or-withdrawal

Lung Diseases

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to reduce the (a) incidence and (b) prevalence of respiratory illnesses.

Steve Brine: The Department is taking action to reduce the incidence of respiratory illnesses such as Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), for example through the recently published Tobacco Control Plan and our commitment to tackling obesity. On 5 November, the Government’s Vision for Prevention, ‘Prevention is better than cure’ was published. This set out how prevention will be placed at the heart of our health and social care system for the long term. Next year, the Government will work with stakeholders to publish a Green Paper on prevention setting out Government plans in more detail, and seeking a wide range of views on what action is most needed. The NHS Outcomes Framework sets out the Department’s priority areas for the National Health Service and includes reducing deaths from respiratory disease as a key indicator. There are currently a range of national initiatives focussed on respiratory disease that are being taken forward. For COPD, the NHS RightCare COPD pathway is being rolled out nationally through clinical commissioning groups and defines the core components of an optimal service for people with COPD. NHS England supports the national Asthma and COPD Audit Programme, led by the Royal College of Physicians', which provides data on a range of indicators to show opportunities for improving COPD outcomes. As part of the national COPD audit programme, NHS England and NHS Improvement have developed a best practice tariff for COPD. The tariff is applicable to hospital trusts to promote best practice and ensure improvements in care. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence publishes quality standards that define best practice for areas in need of improvement for a range of respiratory illnesses including COPD, asthma and pulmonary fibrosis. NHS England collaborate with NHS Improvement, Public Health England and the third sector to ensure all components of respiratory pathways including, identification, diagnosis, treatment and management of respiratory conditions are coordinated across the health system.

Lung Diseases

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many people suffer from respiratory illnesses in the UK.

Steve Brine: This information is not held centrally.

HIV Infection: Drugs

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 11 December 2018 to Question 198229, if he will increase the capacity of the PrEP Impact Trial to ensure that there is space on that trial for all men who have sex with men who wish to participate for the duration of the three year trial period to October 2020.

Steve Brine: The 10,000 places allocated to the Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) Impact Trial undertaken across England were determined on the basis of the numbers likely to address the study objectives. The figure was revised upwards to 13,000 in 2018. Any further increase in trial numbers would need to be considered against the likelihood that the trial objectives would not be met or revised objectives are felt to be necessary.

HIV Infection

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans his Department has to reduce the number of late diagnoses of HIV in England.

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans his Department has for HIV testing outside of sexual health services in England.

Steve Brine: Encouraging uptake of HIV testing particularly amongst those at increased risk is key to the reduction of late diagnosis. Public Health England (PHE) published recommendations to increase rates of HIV testing in the recent HIV in the United Kingdom report, available to view at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/hiv-in-the-united-kingdom PHE has a range of programmes with the aim of increasing HIV testing, these include HIV Prevention England (HPE); the National HIV Self-Sampling service which provides individuals with the opportunity to self-sample online and the HIV Innovation Fund allowing community organisations to implement HIV prevention projects. HPE is the national HIV prevention programme for England. It is a nationally funded programme designed to complement locally commissioned prevention in areas of higher prevalence. Of the five goals HPE is tasked to deliver increasing HIV testing and reduce undiagnosed or late diagnosis is one.

HIV Infection

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether proposals to tackle the late diagnosis of HIV will be in the forthcoming Green Paper on prevention.

Steve Brine: The Department is in the process of scoping the Green Paper, and will provide further details of its content in due course.

Orphan Drugs

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he is taking steps to introduce a revised definition for ultra-orphan medicine.

Jackie Doyle-Price: Currently, rare diseases are defined as conditions affecting no more than five in 10,000 people in the European Union. The new European Clinical Trial Regulation (Regulation (EU) No 536/2014) will introduce an ‘ultra-rare’ condition and states that clinical trials for the development of orphan medicinal products and those of medicines affecting no more than one person in 50,000 in the EU (ultra-rare diseases) should be fostered, and in such areas, a rapid yet in-depth assessment is of particular importance. The new clinical trials regulation is expected to be implemented in the EU in late 2020. The Government has confirmed that United Kingdom law will remain aligned with the parts of the new EU clinical trials Regulation that are within the UK’s control.

Rare Diseases: Medical Treatments

Martyn Day: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that the UK remains a world leader for the treatment of rare diseases after the UK leaves the EU.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The Government is committed to the safe and effective regulation of medicines in the United Kingdom; ensuring patients and the public have fast access to new, innovative medicines, including medicines for rare diseases. The agreement of an implementation period will ensure that access to medicines continues, and patient safety is maintained, in both the UK and European Union markets. Beyond that, the Political Declaration sets out a plan for a free trade area for goods, underpinned by deep regulatory co-operation, as well as a joint commitment to explore close cooperation with the European Medicines Agency. The Government also continues to prepare for the unlikely outcome that we leave the EU without any deal in March 2019. The Department has been engaging with all pharmaceutical companies that supply the United Kingdom with pharmacy or prescription-only medicines from, or via, the EU/European Economic Area, on their contingency plans in the event of a no deal EU Exit. Whatever the exit scenario, we will work to ensure that the UK will remain a world leader for the treatment of rare diseases after the UK leaves the EU, that UK patients are able to access the best and most innovative medicines including medicines for rare diseases and that their safety is protected. The UK life sciences industry has much to offer in creating, developing, trialing and commercialising medicines that will benefit UK patients and strengthen the ability of the UK to compete internationally.

Health Services: Overseas Visitors

Dr Paul Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Written Statement of 12 December 2018 on the review of amendments made to the NHS Overseas Visitor Charging Regulations in 2017, HLWS1142, if he will publish the full text of that review.

Dr Paul Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Written Statement of 12 December 2018 on the review of amendments made to the NHS Overseas Visitor Charging Regulations in 2017, HLWS1142, if he will publish the evidence collected for that review.

Dr Paul Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Written Statement of 12 December 2018 on the review of amendments made to the NHS Overseas Visitor Charging Regulations in 2017, HLWS1142, what information his Department holds on the effect of NHS charging on access to maternity services by vulnerable pregnant migrant women.

Stephen Hammond: The Department has no plans to produce and publish a formal review document or the evidence collected as part of it. In undertaking the review, the Department called for evidence from interested stakeholders which included several confidential individual case studies from organisations who have not permitted the Department to share these within the public domain. A summary of the findings will be shared with contributors to the review and we will continue to keep the impact of the regulations under close review, working closely with our stakeholders. National guidance is clear that National Health Service maternity treatment should always be considered as immediately necessary and provided to all patients regardless of whether or not they are entitled to receive it free of charge or there are doubts about whether they could pay if subsequently found to be chargeable under the regulations.

Addictions: Rehabilitation

Dr Dan Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many in-patient addiction treatment facilities the NHS has commissioned in England in each year since 2010.

Dr Dan Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many in-patient addiction treatment facilities local authorities commissioned in each year between 2012 and 2018.

Steve Brine: This information is not collected centrally.

Psychiatry: Training

Dr Dan Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the fill rates have been for each psychiatric higher training specialty in each English region in 2018.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The fill rates for psychiatric higher training specialty programmes, for 2018 entry, are shown in the attached tables. Tables are split by geographic region.



PQ202306 attached table
(Excel SpreadSheet, 19.5 KB)

Mental Health Services

Dr Dan Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government on the integration of mental health services and addictions services.

Jackie Doyle-Price: Ministers from the Department of Health and Social Care and the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government have discussed this issue. We know that there is clear evidence that drug and alcohol misuse is common among people with mental health problems and that people with co-occurring substance misuse and mental health conditions are too often unable to access the care they need. To help improve access to services, Public Health England has developed guidance to support a ‘no wrong door approach’ to commissioning and provision of joined up services for people with a dual diagnosis of mental health and substance misuse problems.

Medical Records

Dr Dan Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to integrate the medical noting systems of NHS and non-NHS care providers; and if he will make a statement.

Jackie Doyle-Price: Interoperability and openness is one of the guiding principles set out in ‘The future of healthcare: our vision for digital, data and technology in health and care’, published on 17 October.We are committed to creating a technology infrastructure that allows systems to communicate securely, using open standards for data and interoperability. This will enable health and care professionals to have access to the information they need to provide care.We are encouraging local areas to ensure data is collected consistently and made available to support joined up and safer patient care by investing in the development of Local Health and Care Record Exemplars. This will enable data to be accessed as patients move between different parts of the National Health Service and social care. The first five Exemplars cover 23.5 million people and will each receive up to £7.5 million over two years.

Dental Services: Older People

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential health benefits to elderly people of increasing the availability of (a) dental implants, (b) veneers and (c) crowns on the NHS.

Steve Brine: All treatment that is cost effective and clinically necessary to protect and maintain good oral health is available on the National Health Service. Dentists providing care under the NHS exercise clinical judgement in deciding what treatment is clinically required. This includes crowns and if clinically required veneers and, exceptionally, implants. The dentist’s clinical judgement covers what is required clinically and what is needed for cosmetic reasons. As in other areas of the NHS cosmetic treatment is not usually available.

NHS England: Complaints

Rosie Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether Janet Carr, Business Office Coordinator for NHS England North, Lancashire and South Cumbria, has the authority to decide not to respond to complaints made by hon. Members.

Stephen Hammond: Correspondence received by NHS England is dealt with in line with standard procedure, which is to direct the correspondence to the correct organisation to respond. Correspondence about a clinical commissioning group (CCG) commissioned service is directed to the relevant CCG to respond. The Department would expect all National Health Service organisations to give correspondence due consideration and reply within appropriate timescales.

Accident and Emergency Departments: Weather

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Winter Daily Situation Report published by NHS England on 13 December 2018, what assessment has been made of the health outcomes of the 25 patients that were diverted to another A&E department between 3 December and 9 December 2018.

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the Winter Daily Situation Report published by NHS England on 13 December 2018, what distance the 25 patients who were diverted to another A&E department between 3 December and 9 December 2018 had to travel (a) from their local hospital and (b) from their homes.

Stephen Hammond: This information is not collected centrally. NHS England’s Winter Daily Situation Reports are published at the following link: https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/winter-daily-sitreps/winter-daily-sitrep-2018-19-data/ The data record the number of diverts in place and not the number of patients. The plans for diverts are pre-agreed locally between ambulance service and neighbouring trusts and are designed to ensure patients can be seen faster.

Compulsorily Detained Psychiatric Patients

Barbara Keeley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he is taking account of the funding and delivery of aftercare delivered under section 117 of the Mental Health Act in formulating his forthcoming plans for reform to the social care system.

Caroline Dinenage: The Government commissioned an independent review of the Mental Health Act 1983, the final report of which was published earlier this month. The report contains a number of recommendations on the administration of section 117 aftercare, including the need for national guidance on the division of funding between local authorities and clinical commissioning groups. We will be considering these recommendations in detail before responding in due course, we will develop this work alongside our work to reform the social care system.

Compulsorily Detained Psychiatric Patients

Barbara Keeley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of those clinical commissioning group policies which detail formal agreements with local authorities on the division of funding each will deliver under section 117 of the Mental Health Act.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The Government has made no such assessment.

Surrogate Motherhood

Jo Platt: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to bring forward proposals to change the law on surrogacy.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The Government has recognised that the existing legislative framework for surrogacy has not kept pace with social change and has therefore asked the Law Commission to review all surrogacy related law and make proposals for change, as part of a three year project. The Commission started the project in May and have been taking evidence from a wide range of stakeholders throughout 2018. The Commission is intending to publish a consultation paper setting out findings and options in spring 2019.

Breast Cancer: Screening

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent discussions his Department has had with (a) NHS England and (b) Public Health England on responsibilities for the NHS Breast Screening Programme.

Steve Brine: The Department along with Public Health England (PHE) and NHS England is reviewing the recommendations of the recent Independent review of Breast Screening and will be publishing a full Government Response in the new year. The Government will ensure that steps are taken to implement a system that ensures a uniform national approach to the interpretation and implementation of breast screening policy, once that policy has been agreed. The Department, PHE and NHS England will continue to work together to ensure the safe delivery of the breast screening programme through agreed responsibilities and governance mechanisms.

Breast Cancer: Screening

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what his timeframe is for the advice from the National Screening Committee on the age at which women should be invited to their final breast cancer screening appointment.

Steve Brine: The Department will commission the UK National Screening Committee to provide advice as soon as possible on the scientific evidence to support a definition of age at which women should be invited for their final breast screen. On the basis of the Committee’s advice, the Department will work with Public Health England and NHS England to ensure that a new, fit-for-purpose specification for the national breast screening service is agreed and reflected in the programme’s delivery.

HIV Infection: Drugs

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of increasing the number of places available on the pre-exposure prophylaxis impact trial for gay and bisexual men.

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when all sites selected for the pre-exposure prophylaxis impact trial will be open to participant recruitment.

Steve Brine: The 10,000 places allocated to the Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis Impact Trial undertaken across England were determined on the basis of the numbers likely to address the study objectives. The figure was revised upwards to 13,000 in 2018. Any further increase in trial numbers would need to be considered against the likelihood that the trial objectives would not be met or revised objectives are felt to be necessary. All planned 140 trial sites have now opened. The current overview of the site status can be seen on the trial website at the following link: https://www.prepimpacttrial.org.uk/join-the-trial

HIV Infection

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if his Department will commit to ending new HIV transmissions by 2030.

Steve Brine: The Department is considering the next steps in reducing new HIV transmissions following the United Kingdom’s recent achievement of the United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) 90:90:90 targets, and will make an announcement in due course.

NHS: Staff

Mr Virendra Sharma: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the potential effect on staffing levels in the NHS of the UK leaving the EU.

Stephen Hammond: The Department continues to monitor and analyse overall staffing levels in the health and social care sectors and we have been monitoring leaver and joiner rates of European Union staff on a regular basis since the 2016 referendum. We are not complacent, and have plans in place for when the United Kingdom leaves the EU. Our overall programme of work is comprehensive, thorough and continuously updated. On 8 December 2017 the UK and EU reached an agreement to safeguard the rights of people who have built their lives in the UK and EU, following the UK’s exit from the EU. The agreement will guarantee the rights of the 167,000 EU nationals working in our health and care system. We have been clear from the beginning of this process that we want EU nationals currently working in the National Health Service, to stay after we leave the EU. We have been working with health and social care employers across the whole of England to ensure their EU employees are aware of the straight forward and user-friendly EU settlement scheme which will allow them to secure settled status in the UK and enjoy broadly the same rights and benefits as they do now. This offer will stand irrespective of whether a deal is reached by the time the UK leaves the EU. The latest nationality statistics show at March 2018 there were 4,558 more EU nationals, excluding the UK (EU27), employed in NHS trusts and clinical commissioning groups than in June 2016.

Genetics: Screening

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, when he plans to publish the consent framework for the Genomic Medicine Service.

Caroline Dinenage: NHS England and Genomics England are producing materials which will help patients to understand what a genomic test is, what it means for them and their family, how their data will be used and how they can participate in research. These materials are being produced and tested with clinicians, patient representatives and the Royal Colleges to ensure they are appropriate and will be made available in early 2019.

Streptococcus

Sir Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the finding of the recent Group B Strep Support report that cases relating to group B Strep  cost the NHS £40 million in compensation, what steps his Department is taking to (a) improve prevention of and (b) reduce instances of clinical negligence relating to that infection.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Child Sexual Abuse Independent Panel Inquiry

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the oral contribution of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Mental Health and Inequalities of 27 November 2018, Official Report, Column 152, if the formal Government response to the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse's report on Child Migrant Programmes published on 1 March 2018 remains imminent.

Jackie Doyle-Price: On 19 December the Government published its response to the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse's (IICSA) Interim Report and its report on Child Migrant Programmes. The Government’s response outlines the Prime Minister’s decision to ensure that former child migrants receive a payment as soon as possible, in recognition of the fundamentally flawed nature of the historic child migration policy. It is our intention that the ex-gratia payment scheme is set up without delay, and further details will be provided in the new year. We are aware that a number of former child migrants have sadly passed away since the IICSA Child Migration Programmes report was published, so the Government will accept applications in respect of any former child migrant who was alive on 1 March 2018, when the Inquiry’s Child Migration Programmes report was published. We are grateful to the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse for putting this recommendation forward, and will continue to support former migrants through the Family Restoration Fund, which we set up in 2010 to reunite child migrants with their families.

Cataracts: Surgery

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many cataract procedures have been undertaken by each NHS trust in each of the last five years.

Steve Brine: The information requested is attached. NHS Digital has provided data on the number of finished consultant episodes where a cataract procedure has occurred in English National Health Service Hospitals and English NHS commissioned activity in the independent sector between 2013/14 and 2017/18.



PQ202702 attached data
(Excel SpreadSheet, 39.29 KB)

Macfarlane Trust

Diana Johnson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what consultations his Department held with beneficiaries of the Macfarlane Trust prior to the closure of that Trust and transfer of that Trust's residual funds and assets to the Terrence Higgins Trust.

Jackie Doyle-Price: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Dementia: Social Services

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans he has for the forthcoming Adult Social Care Green Paper to tackle the issues experienced by dementia patients in accessing care; and if he will make a statement.

Caroline Dinenage: The upcoming Green Paper will bring forward proposals to ensure we have a social care system where people know that the care they receive will be to a high standard and help them to maintain their independence and well-being.

Breast Cancer: Screening

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many women have participated in the NHS Breast Screening Programme for Central and East London in each month since April 2017.

Steve Brine: Data on the uptake of breast screening are not available in the format requested. NHS Digital publishes data on the quarterly uptake of breast cancer screening. The 2016/17 data (screening year of 1 April 2016 to 31 March 2017) are available to view at the following link: https://digital.nhs.uk/catalogue/PUB30195

Breast Cancer: Screening

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he plans to take steps in response to the 20 June 2018 Public Health England report entitled Screening Quality Assurance support visit report, NHS Breast Screening Programme, Central and East London Breast Screening Service; and if he will make a statement.

Steve Brine: The London Quality Assurance (QA) team made recommendations to the breast screening service provider (Royal Free Hospital) following an informal supportive quality assurance visit on 20 June 2018 to Central and East London Breast Screening Service. No statement can be made as the visit was informal and supportive outside of the formal QA visit process and it was agreed that the report from this visit would not be publically available. NHS England commissioners are expected to performance manage the provider Royal Free Hospital, ensuring that the recommendations made at the visit are incorporated into their recovery action plan.

Nurses: Pensions

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many complaints have been received by NHS Business Services Authority in relation to the removal of the Special Class Status of nurses in each region.

Stephen Hammond: Special Class Status allows an NHS Pension Scheme member to retire from the age of 55 with an unreduced pension, was abolished for all new members from 6 March 1995. Special Class Status continues to apply to 1995 Scheme members with full protection and to 1995 Scheme/2015 Scheme transition members though only in respect of the 1995 Scheme pension benefits. The NHS Business Services Authority administers the NHS Pension Scheme in England and Wales has confirmed that the requested information is not readily available, and is not held on a regional basis. In order to obtain the requested information, the NHS Business Services Authority would need to manually interrogate all records for members whose employment type includes nurses, then identify those who were afforded Special Class Status. The NHS Business Services Authority would then need to identify members who are no longer afforded Special Class Status and who have made a complaint.

NHS: Drugs and Medical Equipment

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the effect of the UK leaving the EU on the cost to NHS England of (a) drugs and (b) devices.

Stephen Hammond: There has been no such assessment.

Department of Health and Social Care: Brexit

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the cost to the public purse of contingency plans made by his Department (a) to date and (b) until 29 March 2019 in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a deal.

Stephen Hammond: We do not want or expect a no deal scenario. However, it is the duty of a responsible Government to continue to prepare for a range of potential outcomes, including the unlikely event of no deal. Extensive work to prepare for a no deal scenario, including contingency planning, has been under way for over two years and we are taking necessary steps to ensure the country continues to operate smoothly from the day we leave. At Autumn Budget 2017, HM Treasury made an additional £3 billion of funding available over the next two years – £1.5 billion in each year – so that Departments and the devolved administrations can continue to prepare effectively for European Union exit. That is in addition to the £700 million previously made available to prepare for EU exit at Autumn Budget 2016. In the Spring Statement on 13 March 2018, my Rt. hon. Friend the Chief Secretary to the Treasury (Elizabeth Truss) laid a Written Ministerial Statement, HCWS540, setting out the full Departmental allocations of the £1.5 billion for 2018/19. HM Treasury approved £21.1 million of funding for the Department of Health and Social Care preparations for EU exit in 2018/19. The Department is preparing for all eventualities and the resources available to support preparations are kept under constant review. The Autumn Budget 2018 confirmed an additional £500 million of cross-Government EU exit funding for 2019/20, meaning the Government will have invested over £4 billion in preparing for EU exit since 2016. This funding will help Departments manage pressures and contingencies arising from EU exit preparations which fall in the 2019/20 financial year, as well as ensuring that the United Kingdom is prepared to seize the opportunities available when the UK leaves the EU.

NHS: Drugs

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate he has made of the cost to the NHS of procuring (a) chartered flights and (b) rolling ships to stockpile medicines (i) to date, (ii) until 29 March 2019, (iii) after 29 March 2019 in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a deal.

Stephen Hammond: The Department’s ‘no deal’ European Union exit medicines supply contingency plans do not confer any cost to the National Health Service of procuring flights or ships to stockpile medicines either before or beyond 29 March 2019 in the unlikely event that the United Kingdom leaves the European Union without a deal.

Hospitals: Medical Equipment

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what estimate has been made of the number of hospitals that will be unable to maintain the level of recommended minimum equipment in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a deal.

Stephen Hammond: The Government is working to mitigate the impact of any potential delays at borders in the unlikely event of a no-deal outcome to our negotiations on exiting the European Union. Our planning aims to ensure that from the day the United Kingdom leaves the EU, we will have the necessary resources and contingencies in place to maintain uninterrupted supplies of medical equipment and devices.

NHS: Procurement

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, with reference to the oral evidence by Simon Stevens, Chief Executive of NHS England to the Health and Social Care Committee on 27 November 2018, if he will publish the conclusions of the NHS's comprehensive assessment of supply lines that was set to take place in the first ten days of December.

Stephen Hammond: The Department is conducting supply chain reviews across the health and care system to assess commercial risks. This includes a self-assessment tool for National Health Service trusts and foundation trusts to review risks for non-clinical consumables, goods and services. The results of these self-assessments were received at the end of November, and the Department is conducting analysis on the data that will be used to provide additional guidance to trusts and foundation trusts in January 2019.

Drugs

Mark Tami: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer on 11 September to Question number 169109 on Social Care: Drugs, (a) when the 2019-20 planning process was completed and (b) what the level of funding is for the 2019-20 prioritisation process.

Steve Brine: The independently chaired Clinical Priorities Advisory Group met in November 2018 to make prioritisation recommendations for investments in specialised service for the 2019/20 financial year. Final investment decisions will be announced shortly. A second prioritisation round for investment in 2019/20 will be held next year. The baseline budget for prioritisation in 2019/20 has been set at £25.7 million reflecting a 2.7% increase on the 2018/19 budget. The availability of any additional funding to support prioritisation will be kept under review between now and May/June 2019 when the second round of investment decisions will be taken for the 2019/20 financial year.

Attorney General

Legal Costs

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Attorney General, what the costs were of all external counsel in the case of R v Brewer and others.

Robert Buckland: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) can only provide costs in respect of prosecution counsel. The Case of R v Brewer and others concerns 15 defendants who were convicted after trial of an offence contrary to section 1(2)(b) Aviation and Maritime Security Act 1990 at Chelmsford Crown Court on 10 December 2018. The case is ongoing and fees are only paid to counsel at the conclusion of the case. However, it is anticipated that the cost of counsel fees in this case, before the sentencing hearing, to be around £134,000. The case is a graduated fees case and therefore paid in accordance with that scheme. The figure is an estimate only and final fees will be subject to scrutiny in accordance with standard practices of the CPS.

Criminal Proceedings: Disclosure of Information

Jim Shannon: To ask the Attorney General, what progress he has made on improving disclosure in the criminal justice system.

Robert Buckland: The Attorney General’s review of the disclosure system, published last month, sets out practical recommendations and a clear plan of action which will hold the leaders of the criminal justice system to account for delivering in their respective areas. The Attorney General’s Office is working closely with key agencies who are already delivering changes and improvements to both the system and culture in their respective organisations.

Department for International Development

Overseas Aid: Children

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to the Answer of 12 November 2018 to Question 188707 on Overseas Aid: Children, what estimate her Department has made of the total amount from its international aid budget that has been allocated to programmes specifically targeted at children in each of the last 10 financial years.

Harriett Baldwin: Our ODA statistics report on a number of policy markers but none of these allow us to track spend directly targeted at children in any robust way.

Democratic Republic of Congo: Elections

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, if she will make representations to the Congolese Government on reported concerns with the adequacy of electronic voting arrangements in the forthcoming elections.

Harriett Baldwin: I visited the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in April 2018 and discussed electronic voting machines with the Electoral Commission (CENI). At their request, the UK funded a technical analysis of the machines to help identify and mitigate the challenges around their use in DRC’s elections. The UK has repeatedly encouraged CENI to adopt the recommendations from the analysis and address concerns of stakeholders with the electoral process, including most recently through a UN Security Council Statement on 21st November, and a meeting between senior officials and CENI on 11th December.

Department for International Development: Overseas Aid

Mr Bob Seely: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much funding her Department has allocated to programmes overseas that is not part of Official Development Assistance in each of the last three years; and how much such funding her Department plans to allocate in each of the next two years.

Alistair Burt: In line with HMT allocations, the funding the Department for International Development has allocated to programmes that are not part of Official Development Assistance is as follows:2015/16 - £20.9m2016/17 - £14.4m2017/18 - £33.9mThe Department are forecasting to spend £17m in 2018/19. The 2019/20 allocation will be decided through our annual planning cycle in 2019 and all future allocations will be subject to the outcome of the Spending Review in 2019.

Department for Education

Schools: Transport

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much central government funding has been spent on school transport in each of the last three years.

Nick Gibb: The majority of central Government funding for home to school transport is made available to local authorities through the local Government finance settlement from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. This funding is not ring fenced. It is for local authorities to decide how they spend the total amount of funding available to them, through this and other sources. Data showing how much local authorities spend on home to school transport during 2017-18 can be found here:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/la-and-school-expenditure-2017-to-2018-financial-year. Data for previous years is available here:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/section-251-materials.

Higher Education: Scotland

Sir Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions he has had with the Scottish Government on that Government's levy in relation to tuition fees on undergraduates from England after 31 December 2020.

Chris Skidmore: The setting of fees for higher education courses is devolved and the approach followed after 31 December 2020 is a matter for each administration to determine.

Social Services: Children

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate he has made of the funding required by Brighton & Hove City Council to deliver children’s services in (a) 2018-19, (b) 2019-20, and (c) 2020-21.

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the demand for children’s services in Brighton in (a) 2018-19, (b) 2019-20, and (c) 2020-21.

Nadhim Zahawi: Information on every local authority’s demand and spend in children’s services is published in the department’s statistical first releases and brought together in our local authority interactive tool: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/local-authority-interactive-tool-lait.Brighton & Hove’s core spending power for 2018 to 1019 is £221.8 million and is rising to £225.2 million in 2019 to 2020.The government is working between now and the Spending Review to get a sharper and more granular picture of demand for children’s services. The department is also working alongside the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and the sector as part of the fair funding review of relative needs and resources to develop a robust, up-to-date approach to funding distribution for children's services, which will determine new baseline funding allocations for local authorities in England 2020 to 2021.

Social Services: Children

Matt Western: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent discussions he has had with local council leaders on children’s services.

Nadhim Zahawi: Ministers and officials regularly meet key stakeholders, including Directors of Children’s Services (DCSs), to discuss policy issues relating to the department’s agenda. For example, I recently met with DCSs and Local Authority Chief Executives at the National Children and Adult Services Conference, held recent roundtables in the department with groups of both DCSs and Chief Executives, and have attended induction events for new DCSs, the last one being in October 2019. In addition, my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of the State and I have very recently met with a number of children in care to hear their views and experiences. The department recognises how important it is to speak directly with those who are on the front line, delivering services for children and families.

Schools: Uniforms

John Grogan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans he has to give statutory force to his Department's guidelines to school's governing bodies on exclusivity arrangements for the sale of school uniforms.

Nick Gibb: The Government remains committed to putting the school uniform guidance on a statutory footing and will do so when a suitable legislative opportunity arises.

Special Educational Needs: Nottinghamshire

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what representations he has received from Nottinghamshire County Council on additional funding for children and young people with high needs; and if he will make a statement.

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the level of support for children and young people with high needs in Nottinghamshire; and if he will make a statement.

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when he received representations from Nottinghamshire County Council on the need for additional funding for children and young people with high needs; and if he will make a statement.

Nadhim Zahawi: The department has received representations from a number of local authorities about funding for children and young people with high needs and the costs of supporting them. On Monday 17 December 2018, my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, announced additional funding amounting to £250 million over 2018-19 and 2019-20. This brings the total allocated for high needs this year to £6.1 billion and £6.3 billion in 2019-20. Nottinghamshire will receive just under £64 million in high needs funding in 2018-19, and £66.5 million in 2019-20, including £1.7 million in each year, as a result of Monday’s announcement.This was amongst a package of other measures to improve the support for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities. My right, hon. Friend, Secretary of State sent the attached letter to local authorities.

Higher Education: Mental Health

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what guidance he provides to the higher education sector on providing a safe and understanding environment for students who (a) have existing and (b) develop mental health conditions at college.

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether he has (a) commissioned and (b) funded an assessment of the correlation between student mental health and (i) the number of contact hours they have and (ii) other aspects of the type of course they study; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Skidmore: Mental health is a priority for this government, which is why the government is working closely with Universities UK on embedding the Step Change programme within the sector. Step Change calls on higher education leaders to adopt mental health as a strategic priority. Step Change also advocates a whole-institution approach to transform cultures and embed mental health initiatives beyond student services teams.The University Mental Health Charter announced in June 2018 is backed by the government and led by the sector, and will drive up standards in promoting student and staff mental health and wellbeing. The charter will reward institutions that deliver improved student mental health outcomes.UK Research and Innovation launched eight new mental health networks in September, including the SMARTEN Network. This will work with researchers with a range of expertise and key stakeholders across the Higher Education sector to improve the understanding of student mental health.

Distance Learning

Ben Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what plans he has to increase the number of individuals aged 24 and over taking part in distance learning.

Chris Skidmore: ​Within higher education, we have already made a number of changes to support part-time and mature part-time learners. This academic year, for example, part-time students are, for the first time ever, able to access full-time equivalent maintenance loans.As stated in the government response to the consultation on part-time maintenance loans, we would like to extend these new loans to distance learning courses, but we must maintain confidence in the student finance system and ensure that adequate controls are in place to prevent the misuse of public funds. The department will extend these loans to distance learners only if robust controls are put in place to manage the risks associated with that mode of study. The department is currently considering those controls, and a final decision regarding whether it is feasible to extend maintenance loans to distance learners will be made once this scrutiny is completed.Beyond student finance, the National Retraining Scheme is an ambitious, far-reaching programme to drive adult learning and retraining, in order to respond to changes in the economy and support people to progress in work, redirect their careers and secure the higher-paid, higher-skilled jobs of the future, focusing on those individuals that need it most.To inform the design of the scheme, the Flexible Learning Fund is supporting 31 pilot projects across England with a total value of £11.4 million. The projects are designing and testing innovative, flexible learning that is easy to access. The pilots are aimed at adults who are working, or who are returning to work, with either low or intermediate skills. A range of delivery methods are being tested; most of the projects will make use of on-line technologies to a degree, as well as ‘blended learning’ that combines online and face-to-face learning.​We know that technology can play a really important role in making learning more flexible and adaptive, as well as breaking down the barrier of distance. It is important that we take advantage of these developments as part of the scheme.

Schools: Fires

Mike Kane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many Priority Schools Building Programme school fires there have been since the beginning of the 2017 Parliament; and how many of those schools (a) had sprinkler systems installed and (b) had sprinkler systems installed as part of the school rebuild.

Nick Gibb: The Department has no recorded incidences of school fires on the Priority School Building Programme. The Home Office publishes data relating to fires in buildings other than dwellings, which includes categories for educational establishments. The most recent published figures cover the 2010/11–2017/18 financial years inclusive. The data can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/fire-statistics-data-tables.The 2017/18 data shows that the incidence of fire across the school estate, affecting the whole building, is low.

Schools: Fire Extinguishers

Mike Kane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if his Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of bringing forward legislative proposals to place a statutory duty on new and major refurbished schools to install fire sprinklers.

Nick Gibb: The safety of pupils and teachers is paramount. Schools have a range of fire protection measures and new schools undergo thorough checks while being designed. All schools must comply with building regulations and where sprinklers are deemed necessary, they must be installed.

Higher Education

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what discussions his Department has had with universities on the potential effect on the higher education sector of the UK leaving the EU without a deal.

Chris Skidmore: ​​The Department for Education regularly engages with a wide range of higher education (HE) stakeholders – involving universities and representative bodies such as Universities UK – at both ministerial and official levels to ensure we fully understand the sector’s priorities for EU exit, including in a no deal scenario.This engagement includes the monthly High Level Stakeholder Working Group on EU Exit, Universities, Research and Innovation, which I chair as Minister for Higher Education and Minister of State for Universities, Science, Research and Innovation.​ This group brings together voices from across the HE and research sector, and is also attended by my hon. Friend, the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the Department for Exiting the European Union. We value this close engagement and we want to maintain a dialogue with the sector as discussions on the UK’s future relationship with the EU progress.

Schools: Agency Workers

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate his Department has made of the total spend on temporary agency staff across schools in England in each year since 2010.

Nick Gibb: The Department publishes the amount spent by schools on supply teaching staff and agency supply teaching staff (as well as costs and receipts from supply teacher insurance) annually for local authority maintained schools, and for academies here: https://schools-financial-benchmarking.service.gov.uk/Help/DataSources.Data from previous years is also available from 2009 to 2010 for CFR, and 2011-2012 for Academies Account Returns.

Overseas Students

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent estimate his Department has made of the net economic impact international students have on the economy of (a) Coventry (b) the West Midlands and (c) the UK.

Chris Skidmore: The Department for Education estimates that the export income to the UK from international students in the form of tuition fees and living expenditure is around £11.5 billion – this analysis is not disaggregated at a local level. The department has not, however, estimated the net economic impact of international students in the UK (nationally or at a regional or local level). ​The Migration Advisory Committee’s report, ‘International Students in the UK’1, published in September 2018, found that international students make a positive economic contribution to the UK, and that there is no evidence to suggest they negatively impact local communities. The report found that where international students do study, they support local employment, and have a direct, positive impact on the UK through tuition fees and living expenditure.  [1] https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/migration-advisory-committee-mac-report-international-students.

Children in Care

Stephen Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the reasons for the increase in the number of (a) looked after children, (b) child protection plans and (c) children in need.

Nadhim Zahawi: Department for Education data shows that since 2013, the number of children in need, children on child protection plans and looked-after children at 31 March have risen by 7.1%, 24.5% and 10.7% respectively. The most common factors that present themselves in children’s social care assessments are domestic abuse and mental health. These have been consistently the top two factors for the years during which we have collected this data. Data on this is available in table C3 of statistical release ‘Characteristics of children in need 2017 to 2018’ at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/characteristics-of-children-in-need-2017-to-2018.

Social Services: Children

Stephen Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what recent discussions he has had with directors of children’s services on their ability to deliver their statutory duties to children and families.

Nadhim Zahawi: Ministers and officials regularly meet key stakeholders, including Directors of Children’s Services (DCSs), to discuss policy issues relating to the department’s agenda. For example, I recently met with DCSs and Local Authority Chief Executives at the National Children and Adult Services Conference, held roundtables in the department with groups of both DCSs and Chief Executives, and have attended induction events for new DCSs, the last one being in October 2019. In addition, my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of the State and I have very recently met with a number of children in care to hear their views and experiences. The department recognises how important it is to speak directly with those who are on the front line, delivering services for children and families.

Social Services: Children

Stephen Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment his Department has made of the link between deprivation and demand for children’s services.

Nadhim Zahawi: Demand for children’s services is associated with a number of factors including deprivation. The most deprived local authorities have more looked-after children (per 10,000 nought to 17-year-olds), and these rates have grown faster, than the least deprived local authorities.In preparation for the Spending Review, to help ensure decisions are based on the best available evidence, the government is working with the sector to develop a sharper and more granular picture of demand for children’s services. We are also working with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government as part of the government’s fair funding review of relative needs and resources, where new, up-to-date formulas are being developed to ensure funding distribution to councils is based on the best available evidence. We welcome the contributions from the sector in this area including Newton Europe’s ‘Making Sense’ (2018) report and the Association of Directors of Children’s Services continuing research reports, ‘Safeguarding Pressures’ (2018).

Children in Care

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many full-time equivalent staff in his Department work on (a) foster care, (b) residential care, (c) adoption and (d) kinship care including special guardianship.

Nadhim Zahawi: As at 6 December 2018, there were 38.4 full-time equivalent staff working in the departmental division (children in care and permanence) that is responsible for foster care, residential care, kinship care, adoption and special guardianship.

Breakfast Clubs

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether the provision of cereals fortified with vitamins and minerals supplied by breakfast clubs are given greater priority than the provision of low sugar cereals.

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what guidance his Department issues to schools on the provision of high sugar breakfast cereals at breakfast clubs.

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether schools are required to inform parents of the menu offered at breakfast clubs.

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether schools are required to provide nutrition information on the recommended daily intake of (a) sugars and (b) carbohydrates breakfast foods offered at breakfast clubs.

Nadhim Zahawi: The school food standards define the foods and drinks that must be provided, those which are restricted, and those which must not be provided by schools, including during breakfasts. The standards are food based and nutritional information of individual products is not specifically required, however schools and catering services must meet allergens law.The standards severely restrict foods high in fat, salt and sugar, including high sugar foods and confectionery. It is for schools and caterers to decide what is an appropriate portion and to balance the food served across the school week including foods provided at breakfast service – fruit and/or vegetables must be available. The guidance to accompany the standards includes portion sizes and food groups. This is available on the resources page at: www.schoolfoodplan.com.Schools are responsible for their day to day running and it is therefore a local decision as to whether they share their menus with parents.

Schools: Food

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if he will ask Public Health England to undertake a review of school menus to ensure that pupils receive healthy choices in line with the school food standards.

Tom Watson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, when he plans to commence the review of the School Food in England: Departmental advice for governing bodies.

Nadhim Zahawi: The new school food standards came in to force from January 2015. They have been widely welcomed but since then new advice on sugar and nutrition has been published. Therefore the Department for Education, supported by Public Health England, will update the standards in light of refreshed government dietary recommendations. We will consider school menus and update the departmental advice as part of this work. Further details will be available shortly.

Social Services: Children

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, pursuant to the Answer of 27 November 2018 to Question 194687, Social Service: Children, what the timetable is for the distribution to local authorities of the £84 million in additional funding for children's social care services announced in Budget 2018.

Nadhim Zahawi: The £84 million announced at Budget 2018 will support up to 20 local authorities to improve their social work practice and decision making, enabling them to work more effectively with vulnerable children and their families and better manage the challenges caused by rising pressures. We are continuing to work closely with the sector to determine how best to allocate the funding when it becomes available in April 2019.

Children: Health

Alex Sobel: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to ensure child wellbeing (a) inside and (b) outside of school.

Nick Gibb: The Department wants to help schools support the wellbeing of their pupils. That is why in October 2018, my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister announced that schools would be provided with a framework to support them to assess the wellbeing of their pupils. The Prime Minister also made a commitment that the Government will publish an annual ‘State of the Nation’ report every year on World Mental Health Day, highlighting the trends and issues in young people’s wellbeing. Work is underway to deliver these commitments.In addition, the Department is working with the Department of Health and Social Care to ensure that all schools have access to mental health support, and has also doubled the Primary Physical Education and Sport Premium to £320 million per year since September 2017. The Department is delivering a programme of work to explore how best to support disadvantaged children and their families to access free enrichment activities and healthy food during the school holidays. Up to £26 million is being invested in a breakfast club programme, which will open or improve breakfast clubs in over 1,700 schools and will be targeted at the most disadvantaged areas of the country.Bullying can have serious and lasting consequences on wellbeing. The Government has sent a clear message to schools that bullying, including cyberbullying, for whatever reason is unacceptable. All schools are legally required to have a behaviour policy with measures to prevent all forms of bullying. The Department is providing over £2.8 million of funding between September 2016 and March 2020, to four anti-bullying organisations to support schools to tackle bullying.

Universities: Pay

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to encourage universities to tackle their BME and intersecting gender pay gaps.

Chris Skidmore: ​​As independent and autonomous institutions, higher education institutions are responsible for decisions about who they employ and the pay offered to their staff.All employers with over 250 employees are now required to report their gender pay gap data. The transparency created through reporting is crucial to accelerating progress to close the gender pay gap.Through her Race Disparity Audit, my right hon. Friend, the Prime Minister has asked employers to commit to tackling barriers facing ethnic minorities in the workplace and has launched a consultation on ethnicity pay reporting, which is open until January.​In the New Year, government will be announcing a package of measures to address disparities that affect both ethnic minority staff and students in higher education.

English Baccalaureate: Languages

Mr William Wragg: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that teaching and learning of modern foreign languages as part of EBacc is promoted and protected.

Nick Gibb: The Department introduced the EBacc performance measure to halt the decline in the number of pupils taking GCSEs in languages. The reformed National Curriculum now makes it compulsory for pupils in maintained schools to be taught a foreign language at Key Stage 2. The proportion of GCSE entries from pupils in state-funded schools in a modern foreign language (MFL) has increased from 40% in 2010 to 46% in 2018.The Department offers generous financial incentives for teaching languages, including scholarships in modern languages worth £28,000, and tax-free bursaries, typically worth up to £26,000, for trainees of MFL initial teacher training.The Department has announced £4.8 million in funding for a MFL Pedagogy Pilot, appointing lead schools and a centre for excellence, to improve uptake and attainment in languages at Key Stages 3 and 4. The Department is funding a £10 million Mandarin Excellence Programme, with 5,000 pupils on track to reach a high level of fluency in Mandarin by 2020. We have also launched a pilot project for MFL undergraduate mentoring for secondary school pupils to increase take up in the subject. The Department has also recently published a leaflet[1] (see attachment) for parents, which explains why studying a language, as part of the EBacc, will provide their children with an insight into other cultures, opening the door to travel and employment opportunities. [1] https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/english-baccalaureate-ebacc. 



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Higher Education

Royston Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what proportion of students study (a) law, (b) medicine, (c) engineering, (d) social sciences at university after obtaining 3 D's or lower at A-level.

Chris Skidmore: The Higher Education Statistics Agency publishes data on the number of entrants to full-time first degree courses by subject and qualifications held on entry in Table WP2 of the ‘Widening participation: UK Performance Indicators 2016/17’, which is published at the following link: https://www.hesa.ac.uk/news/01-02-2018/widening-participation-tables.

Ministry of Justice

Prisons: Unmanned Air Vehicles

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of the number of (a) confiscated drones and (b) persons prosecuted for the illegal use of a drone in the vicinity of a prison in the last two years.

Rory Stewart: Holding answer received on 06 December 2018



We are taking decisive steps to tackle the use of drones as a supply route for organised criminals to bring illicit items such as drugs and mobile phones into prisons. These drone operators can be prosecuted for offences related to conveyance of items into prison under the Prison Act 1952. Last year we launched Operation Trenton, a specialist team of police and Prison Service investigators, to work together to intercept drones and track down the criminals behind them. In 2016, 92 drones were recovered. In 2017, 73 were recovered. In respect of persons prosecuted for the illegal use of a drone in the vicinity of a prison in the last two years, we do not hold this data centrally. However, we believe that at least 45 people have been convicted of illicit drone activity, with those sentenced serving a total of more than 140 years in prison. On 26 October 2018, following the largest investigation of its kind, an organised criminal gang of 15 were collectively sentenced to nearly 40 years in prison for using drones to drop drugs into a number of prisons. The ringleader received a sentence of 10 years, the highest single sentence for drone-related activity to date.

Prisons: Contracts

Mary Glindon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 26 November 2018 to Question 194146 on Prisons: Contracts, what the estimated cost is of the production of the public-sector benchmark against which potential operators’ bids will be assessed.

Mary Glindon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 26 November 2018 to Question 194146 on Prisons: Contracts, what the estimated timetable is for the production of the public sector benchmark against which potential operators’ bids will be assessed.

Mary Glindon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 26 November 2018 to Question 194146 on Prisons: Contracts, how many staff of each grade have been tasked with the production of the public sector benchmark against which potential operators’ bids will be assessed.

Mary Glindon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 26 November 2018 to Question 194146 on Prisons: Contracts, whether he plans to publish the public sector benchmark which against potential operators’ bids are to be assessed once the competition process has been completed.

Rory Stewart: As set out in my answer to PQ 194146, the Government is committed to a diverse market of prison operators and competition for custodial services remains an important way of achieving that and driving quality of operations and innovation across the system. Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) will not be bidding in the competition to operate the new prisons at Wellingborough and Glen Parva but will instead provide a ‘public sector benchmark’, against which potential operators’ bids can be assessed. It is right that the prison service focuses on getting the basics right in prisons, however where bids do not meet sufficient quality or value for money thresholds it will act as the provider. For the competition for the operation of Wellingborough this work has already been undertaken and informed the specification and affordability threshold for this competition. The affordability threshold is based on the specification that has been set for the competition and an understanding of how the public sector would deliver this specification. Creation of the affordability threshold and specification was undertaken by the Prison Estate Transformation Programme in conjunction with colleagues across HMPPS, finance, commercial and analytical services and involved staff from a range of grades. The affordability threshold for the competition for Wellingborough is £299m Net Present Cost in 2019/20 prices. Both the threshold and the specification were published on the Ministry of Justice’s eSourcing portal as part of the competition documentation on 6 December 2018. The specification and affordability threshold for the competition for the operation of Glen Parva will be developed throughout next year.

Prisoners: Death

Imran Hussain: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prisoners died within 48 hours of release in (a) 2010, (b) 2017 and (c) 2018.

Rory Stewart: The numbers of prisoners who were reported to have died within two days of release are given in the table below.2010/1102016/17102017/1813We have supplied figures for financial years because that is the basis on which deaths of offenders under supervision in the community are reported centrally to Her Majesty's Prison and Probation Service.The person submitting a report may not know the exact time of release and/or of death, so it is impossible to say whether an offender’s death was within exactly 48 hours of release. Instead, the table lists deaths believed to have occurred on the day of release or either of the two days following that. In addition, the release date was omitted from some reports of deaths of offenders under supervision, and in those cases we are unable to estimate the time since release. HMPPS collects data only about the deaths of offenders who are under probation supervision in the community. Because of this, our data excludes the following groups of released prisoners:offenders who were not supervised on release. This applies only to 2010/11, which was before the Offender Rehabilitation Act extended post-release supervision to all offenders;remand prisoners released on bail, or after being acquitted, or after being convicted but receiving a non-custodial sentence;immigration detainees; andany civil prisoners, such as those imprisoned for contempt of court.  The NPS and CRCs work closely with other agencies to support offenders in the community. When an offender being supervised by Probation dies, the Probation provider must examine the circumstances of the death and identify areas to improve practice. While we work extremely closely with each offender before and after release to help them find the support they need, we do not have sole responsibility for caring for them. We are clear, however, that they should receive the same level of care as other members of the public. We are considering whether this reporting requirement could be strengthened, particularly to improve the sharing of learning nationally.

Prison Sentences

Richard Burgon: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answers of 19 November 2018 to Questions 189756 and 189757, how many (a) men and (b) women were sentenced to prison in the first six months of 2018 for each offence in the Home Office offence code.

Rory Stewart: The total number of offenders sentenced to immediate custody from January to June 2018, broken down by Home Office offence code, can be viewed in Table 1. Table 2 and Table 3 break this information down by men and women respectively. Sentencing is a matter for our independent courts, who take into account all circumstances of the case, including any aggravating and mitigating factors.



Table
(Excel SpreadSheet, 53.48 KB)

Legal Profession

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many solicitors (a) firms and (b) organisations provide (i) legal help, (ii) family help (lower form), (iii) family help (higher) and (iv) legal representation in each local authority area as at 1 December 2018.

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people applied for legal aid for (a) legal advice and (b) represented in public law to secure a special guardianship order for a child; how many of those applications resulted in legal aid being awarded; and how many such applications resulted in a special guardianship order being made in 2017-18.

Helen Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people in 2017-18 applied for legal aid in order to (a) receive legal advice or (b) be represented in private law proceedings to secure a special guardianship order for a child; how many such applications resulted in legal aid being awarded; and how many such cases resulted in a special guardianship order being made.

Lucy Frazer: The Legal Aid Agency maps legal aid provision by Procurement Area rather than by Local Authority. A list of solicitor firms who can provide legal aid in civil law, broken down by address, is published at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/directory-of-legal-aid-providers. Information on the number of applications made for legal aid in special guardianship proceedings and the associated outcomes could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Prisoners

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many former category A prisoners were held in each category C prison in England and Wales in 2017.

Rory Stewart: The information requested is not readily available and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Personal Independence Payment: Appeals

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate his Department has made of the number of personal independence payment cases appealed to HM Courts and Tribunal Service in each quarter since January 2015.

Lucy Frazer: The Ministry of Justice has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Personal Independence Payment: Appeals

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate his department has made of the (a) number and (b) percentage of personal independence payment cases that have been (i) upheld and (ii) overturned by HM Courts and Tribunal Service at appeal stage in each quarter since January 2015.

Lucy Frazer: The Ministry of Justice has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Civil Proceedings: Disclosure of Information

Darren Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether it is a requirement for an unredacted transcript of a civil court hearing to be made available to the (a) complainant and (b) respondent.

Lucy Frazer: The Civil Procedure Rules, which govern procedures in the civil courts, provide that a transcript of the recording of any hearing should be made available to a party to the proceedings or hearing on application to the court, upon payment. Where the person requiring the transcript is not a party to the proceedings and the hearing, or any part of it was held in private, the decision as to whether to provide the transcript is a matter for the judge. All transcripts will be unredacted unless directed by the judge.

Victim Personal Statements

Darren Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether the guidance issued on the Victim's Code requires the reading out of victim personal statements in open court.

Edward Argar: There is no requirement for victims, or anyone else on their behalf, to read out a victim personal statement in open court. There is a presumption that a victim should be allowed to read their statement in full if they wish to do so. However, whether the statement is read in open court, who reads it, and which sections of the statement are read, is at the discretion of the trial judge. A Joint Agency Guide to the Victim Personal Statement provides practical advice for criminal justice practitioners who might be involved in the process. It is publicly available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/victim-personal-statement

Prisons: Drugs

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps his Department is taking to prevent illicit drugs being brought into prisons.

Rory Stewart: Restricting access to illicit drugs in prison is crucial to preventing substance misuse and in turn supporting rehabilitation. We are investing £6 million in 10 of the most challenging prisons to tackle drug supply and reduce demand, learning from these prisons will be shared across the prison estate nationally and will inform future activity. We have formed a Drugs Taskforce, working with law enforcement and health partners across government. The Taskforce is developing a national drugs strategy, underpinned by advice and guidance that will support the whole of the estate to restrict supply, reduce demand and build recovery. We use body searches, standard metal-detecting scanners and drug detection dogs across the estate. We will be extending the use of x-ray scanners more widely across the prison estate to detect internally concealed contraband, such as drugs or mobile phones. We have recently invested an additional £7 million in modern technology, including extending the use of phone blocking technology and improved searching techniques. We are working with the police to catch and convict criminals who smuggle contraband into prisons, and exploring additional security measures and new technology to stop these incursions. To date, there have been at least 45 convictions related to drone activity, with those sentenced serving a total of more than 140 years in prison. We have also taken steps to restrict the supply and use of Psychoactive Substances (PS) since their emergence. We became the first prison service in the world to introduce innovative mandatory drug tests for psychoactive substances, a significant step in tackling the supply and use of them. We have made it a criminal offence to possess psychoactive substances in prison and trained more than 300 sniffer dogs specifically to detect these drugs. We have also provided guidance on how to counter the evolving methods used by suppliers such as impregnated paper.

Treasury

Brexit

Hilary Benn: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what proportion of the £4.2 billion he has made available for planning for the UK to leave the EU since 2016 has been (a) allocated to departments and agencies and (b) spent.

Elizabeth Truss: HM Treasury has allocated over £4.2 billion of additional funding to departments and the Devolved Administrations for EU exit preparations so far. This breaks down as: £412m of additional funding over the spending review period for the Department for Exiting the European Union, Department for International Trade and the Foreign & Commonwealth Office at Autumn Statement 2016. £286m of additional funding for 17/18 (a full breakdown of which can be found in Supplementary Estimates 17/18).https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/679738/PU2137_Supplementary_estimates_web.pdf. Over £1.5bn of additional funding for 18/19. A full breakdown of the allocations can be found in the Chief Secretary’s Written Ministerial Statement, HCWS540, laid on the 13th March (https://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-statement/Commons/2018-03-13/HCWS540/) Over £2bn of additional funding for 19/20. A full breakdown of the allocations can be found in the Chief Secretary’s Written Ministerial Statement, HCWS1205, laid on the 18th December (https://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-statement/Commons/2018-12-18/HCWS1205/) Whilst HM Treasury has oversight of policies with spending implications, the spending framework means the Treasury will not monitor each individual cost incurred to prepare for EU Exit. To ensure those closest to the decisions have the authority to manage public money efficiently and effectively, departments are set delegated spending limits. This means that where spend is not novel, contentious or repercussive, departments have autonomy to incur expenditure without seeking formal HMT clearance.

Brexit

Sir Edward Leigh: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much each Department (a) bid and (b) has been allocated for planning for leaving the EU without a deal from the 2018-19 resource allocation.

Elizabeth Truss: At Autumn Budget 2017, the Chancellor set aside £1.5 billion for EU Exit preparations in both 2018/19 and 2019/20; this was subsequently increased by £0.5bn for 2019/20 in the 2018 Budget. A full breakdown of how this funding was allocated for 2018/19 can be found in the Chief Secretary’s Written Ministerial Statement, HCWS540, laid on the 13th March (https://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-statement/Commons/2018-03-13/HCWS540/). HM Treasury does not publish bids received from departments for public spending.

Fuels: Prices

Kirstene Hair: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent discussions his Department has had with representatives of the petroleum retail industry on fuel prices in rural and remote areas.

Robert Jenrick: Ministers and officials hold regular discussions with representatives of the petroleum sector on a range of issues, including fuel prices. The rural fuel duty rebate scheme allows around 125,000 people living in the UK’s most rural communities, including on the Scottish mainland and Scottish Islands, to benefit from a five pence per litre fuel price cut. The government also recognises that fuel costs remain a significant part of business and household costs, particularly in rural areas. That is why at Budget 2018, the Chancellor announced the main rate of fuel duty would remain frozen for the ninth successive year, which by April 2020 will have saved the average driver a cumulative £1000 compared to pre-2010 escalator plans.

Child Tax Credit: Carers

Melanie Onn: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what processes are in place to compensate kinship carers that are unable to claim child tax credit for their birth child in the period between 1 April 2017 and 28 November 2018 as a result of the two child exemption.

Elizabeth Truss: The regulations to extend support for kinship carers and parents who adopt in Child Tax Credit (CTC) came into force on 28 November 2018. HMRC is already in contact with a number of families who may qualify for additional support and will be contacting all CTC claimants who have added a third or subsequent child to their award since 6 April 2017 to advise them of the policy change. Anyone who thinks they may have been affected by the policy change will be advised to get in touch with HMRC's specialist operational team. All individuals who qualify for the extension, will receive payment for their third or subsequent child from the date the child, or children, were added to their award.

Revenue and Customs: Training

Melanie Onn: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what (a) training and (b) guidance has been provided to HMRC staff in relation to the variation in the two child limit exemption for kinship carers and adopters applying for child tax credit.

Elizabeth Truss: HMRC fully recognises that the policy to provide support for a maximum of two children is a difficult and sensitive issue, and has set up procedures that are mindful of the sensitivities involved. HMRC has a specialist operational team to handle claims for exceptions relating to this policy. Dedicated guidance is in place for this team which is actively maintained to ensure it is kept up to date.

Non-domestic Rates: Northern Ireland

Jim Shannon: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will meet with the Permanent Secretary of the Northern Ireland Executive to ensure that provision set out in the Budget 2018 for reduced rates for high street shops in Northern Ireland is distributed to those shops and not lost in the Barnett consequential.

Elizabeth Truss: Business rates policy is a devolved matter. The UK Government is providing Barnett consequential funding for the changes announced at Budget.

Treasury: Migrant Workers

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of his Department paying the £65 application fee for settled or pre-settled status for EU nationals (a) employed by and (b) working as an outsourced worker in his Department; what estimate he has made of the total cost to his Department of paying those fees; and what assessment he has made of the risks that the EU Settlement Scheme poses to the retention of EU nationals (i) employed by or (ii) working as an outsourced worker in his Department.

Robert Jenrick: The UK Government currently does not plan to pay the Settled Status for its non-UK EU citizen employees. The fee is set at an affordable rate (£65), less than the cost of an UK passport.Outsourced workers are not employees of HM Treasury and therefore this would be a decision for their employers.The number of non-UK EU citizens employed across the Civil Service is not consistently collected across Government. It is therefore not possible to estimate the cost of paying the settled status fee for non-UK EU nationals employed directly by the Treasury.We value the significant contribution made by EU citizens working in the Treasury and we want these colleagues to continue to play a full role in the work of the Civil Service. We are committed to supporting our EU citizen employees in the Treasury, and will continue to engage with them over the coming months.

Tax Avoidance

Mrs Anne Main: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many people are being pursued for repayments under the 2019 Loan Charge in (a) St Albans and (b) the UK since it came into force.

Mel Stride: The charge on disguised remuneration (DR) loans is targeted at artificial tax avoidance schemes where earnings were paid via a third party in the form of ‘loans’. These loans were paid in place of ordinary remuneration, with the sole purpose of avoiding income tax and National Insurance contributions. In reality these loans were never repaid. When taking into account the loan they received, loan scheme users have on average twice as much income as the average UK taxpayer. The Government estimates that up to 50,000 individuals will be affected by the 2019 loan charge. Information is not held at constituency level. Since the announcement of the 2019 loan charge at Budget 2016, HMRC has agreed settlements on disguised remuneration schemes with employers and individuals of over 650 million pounds. More than 90% of this amount was collected from employers, with less than 10% from individuals. HMRC has simplified the process for those who choose to settle their use of avoidance schemes before the charge arises, so that those earning less than £50,000 a year and no longer engaging in tax avoidance can agree a payment plan of up to five years without the need for detailed supporting information. There is no maximum period within which an overall settlement can be agreed, and HMRC will deal with individual cases appropriately and sympathetically.

Freezing of Assets: Libya

Dr Andrew Murrison: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, if he will publish the (a) date granted, (b) purpose, (c) recipient and (d) value of the licences issued for the release of funds frozen as result of financial sanctions against Libya.

John Glen: Where there are derogations set out in the Libya sanctions regimes, HM Treasury may authorise dealing with frozen assets. In some instances, that includes releasing frozen funds for at least one of the following purposes: basic needs, extraordinary expenses, legal fees, prior contract, routine holding and maintenance. The detailed information requested in relation to parts (a), (b), and (d) could only be made available at disproportionate cost. In relation to part (c) of the question, the Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation (OFSI) is unable to release this information as disclosure would contravene data protection principles.

Freezing of Assets: Libya

Dr Andrew Murrison: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much has accrued to the public purse in taxation from (a) Libyan frozen assets and (b) transactions relating to Libyan frozen assets in each financial year.

John Glen: This information is not held centrally within government and would involve disproportionate costs to collect and collate.

Financial Services

Chris Evans: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the (a) content on disclosure of risk and future performance and (b) other content in Key Information Documents prepared in accordance with the Packaged Retail and Insurance-based Investment Products Regulations 2017.

John Glen: The Packaged Retail and Insurance-based Investment Products (PRIIPs) Regulation has applied since 1 January 2018. In July 2018 the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) put out a Call for Input to assess the initial experiences of both firms and consumers of the new requirements introduced by the PRIIPs Regulations. These requirements include those relating to the content of Key Information Documents. The FCA have committed to providing a publicly available feedback statement on their Call for Input in early 2019.

Brexit

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many non-disclosure agreements his Department has signed with banks advising the Government on preparations for the UK leaving the EU.

Rushanara Ali: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many non-disclosure agreements his Department has signed with consultancy firms advising the Government on preparations for the UK leaving the EU.

John Glen: The Government has non-disclosure agreements with some private sector organisations. Confidentiality requirements are a common element of contractual obligations and are used by departments to protect commercial considerations; to reflect the sensitive nature of some discussions; and to facilitate conversations that otherwise may not have been able to take place, due to concerns around sensitive information. As part of the UK’s withdrawal from the EU, HM Treasury and the UK Government as a whole continue to engage with a wide range of stakeholders.

Duty Free Allowances

Steve Double: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether it is his Department’s policy to reintroduce duty free in the event of the UK leaving the EU without a deal.

Steve Double: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether his Department has had discussions with (a) the European Commission and (b) TaskForce 50 on whether (i) duty free would return for passengers travelling from the EU to the UK and (ii) reciprocal arrangements would be made after the UK leaves the EU.

Mel Stride: The issues around duty-free are complex, with a range of possible approaches. The government is clear that tax is a sovereign matter and that it will be open to the UK government and Parliament to decide to change its policy in the future, subject to any negotiations with the EU. The Chancellor made clear at the Treasury Select Committee on 5 November that there are no plans at the moment to review the duty-free situation, when asked about the possible reintroduction of duty-free after March 2019.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Landlords: Registration

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 27 February 2018 to Question 127973, what assessment his Department has made of the cost to a landlord of a national register.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: Government currently has no plans to introduce a system of national registration and as such has not made any detailed assessment of the cost of such a system. Government is instead focussed on tackling rogue landlords. In April 2018, using powers under the Housing and Planning Act 2016, we introduced a national database of rogue landlords and letting agents. We are committed to making this database publicly accessible as soon as parliamentary time allows.

Buildings: Insulation

Mr Steve Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Written Statement of 29 November 2018 on Grenfell Update, Official Report HCWS1126, if he will extend the ban on the use of combustible materials on new high-rise buildings to (a) hotels and (b) office blocks.

Kit Malthouse: The ban on the use of combustible materials will apply to the external walls of all new buildings above 18 metres that contain flats. This is because the majority of fire related fatalities occur in ‘dwellings’ (76 per cent of fire related fatalities from 2010/11 to 2017/18). The ban will also apply to the external walls of new hospitals, residential care premises and student accommodation and dormitories in boarding schools over 18 metres following strong support for the ban to apply to these types of buildings.The ban on the use of combustible materials is being focused on buildings where the risks are greatest. The external walls of high rise hotels, offices and other buildings outside the scope of the ban will still be required to adequately resist the spread of fire to meet the requirements of the Building Regulations.

Social Services: Finance

Conor McGinn: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what the (a) percentage increase in council tax levied for and (b) sum raised by the adult social care precept was in each English local authority area in the latest period for which that information is available.

Rishi Sunak: Billing authorities and county councils with responsibility for adult social care services are able to charge the Adult Social Care precept. Data on the Adult Social Care precept and the percentage increase in the precept for 2018-19 for individual authorities can be found inhttps://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/699454/Table_9_revised.xlsx.

Social Services: Children

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 14 December 2018 to Question 199767 on Social Services: Children, if he will publish the visits that Ministers in his Department have undertaken with participating authorities in each year since 2016.

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 14 December 2018 to Question 199767 on Social Services: Children, which participating authorities have been visited by Ministers of his Ministry in the last 12 months.

James Brokenshire: In addition to various meetings in the Department with representatives from local authorities to discuss local government matters, including the troubled families programme, Ministers from this Department visited the following local authorities to see their local Troubled Families Programmes in action during 2016, 2017 and 2018.2016 Hampshire2017 Nottingham2018 Liverpool, Middlesbrough and North Yorkshire

Parking: Fines

Sarah Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether his Department has collected data on (a) the level of fines that have been levied by private car park operators, (b) the number of private car parking fine appeals that have been heard and (c) the proportion of those appeals that have been successful in each of the last five years.

Rishi Sunak: The Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government does not hold this data.

Temporary Accommodation

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, how many (a) single-headed households, (b) households with children, (c) households with pensioners, (d) households where one or more person is employed and (e) households with a disabled member were placed in temporary accommodation in the last 12 months.

James Brokenshire: The number of households in accommodation arranged by local authorities pending enquiries or after being accepted as homeless under the 1996 Act (includes residual cases awaiting re-housing under the 1985 Act) was 80,720 at the end of 2017/18. The household breakdowns are as follows:One-person households: 16,110Households with children: 58,230All other household groups: 5,880This information is available here https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/live-tables-on-homelessness. Anyone placed in temporary accommodation without applying via a local authority will not be included in these figures.Prior to April 2018, data was not collected on pensioners, the employment status and those with disabilities in temporary accommodation however, as a result of the launch of HCLIC, a homeless household case level data collection, this information will be available at the end of the 2019/20 financial year.

Building Better, Building Beautiful Commission: Public Appointments

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will publish a list of the four commissioners appointed to the Building Better, Building Beautiful Commission; and by what process those commissioners were appointed.

James Brokenshire: The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Local Government Finance

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, pursuant to the Answer of 1 May 2018 to Question 138439 on Local Government Finance, which other determining factors his Department uses to determine the sustainability of local authorities on an (a) individual and (b) sectoral level.

James Brokenshire: The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Ministry of Defence

Electronic Warfare

David Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what steps his Department is taking to protect the UK from cyber-attack from hostile states.

Mark Lancaster: The Ministry of Defence places a high priority on assuring its systems and dedicates considerable resources to assessing cyber threats; and we continue to apply all necessary mitigations to combat these threats. We work hard to protect our Armed Forces and the Nation from hostile activity 24/7, 365 Days year from our world-class Global Operations and Security Control Centre. We work hand in hand with the National Cyber Security Centre, operating alongside and within its structures constantly.A 21st Century military has to operate as effectively in cyberspace as it does by sea and land, in the air and in space. We are developing a range of cyber capabilities which can be used at a time and place of our choosing, in accordance with international law.Our vision is that the UK is secure and resilient to cyber threats, prosperous and confident in the digital world.

Ammunition: Procurement

Vernon Coaker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether he has made an assessment of the market appetite for a competitive procurement process for Project ABEL; and if he will make a statement.

Stuart Andrew: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) is reviewing its General Munitions procurement and support strategies, known as Project ABEL. Industry views were sought to allow existing and potential suppliers to contribute to the MOD's procurement strategy decisions, including the market's appetite for competition. A final decision has yet to be made.

Armed Forces: Recruitment

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent steps he is taking to encourage people from all ethnic groups to join the armed forces.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The Defence Diversity and Inclusion Strategy, published in October, is based on achieving a vision that reflects our recognition that the recruitment, and inclusion of individuals with diverse skills, perspectives and backgrounds will bring real strength to Defence and wider society.The Armed Forces are working towards a target of 10 per cent of recruits to come from Black, Asian or Minority Ethnic backgrounds by 2020.Work to increase representation from minority ethnic groups includes better understanding and greater engagement with these communities, reviewing recruitment processes; and better targeted marketing and communications towards potential applicants.

National Security

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 27 November 2018 to Question 194078 on UK national security, if he will take steps to implement safeguards to ensure the general defence exemption under the Government Procurement Agreement is retained in full and not limited as a result of residual obligations to the EU after the UK has left the EU.

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of the Government Procurement Agreement of the World Trade Organisation on the (a) retention and (b) enhancement of UK defence contracts.

Stuart Andrew: The UK intends to accede to the World Trade Organisation Government Procurement Agreement on the same terms as is currently the position for the UK as an EU Member State. The UK's final market access offer was agreed in principle on 27 November 2018. As a result, while the treatment of defence contracts is expected to remain unchanged, the Ministry of Defence is contributing to work across Government to understand the implications and opportunities of accession.

Military Bases: Bramley

Mr Ranil Jayawardena: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what conditions were stipulated under the conditions of sale when his Department disposed of land from Bramley Training Area particularly in relation to purposes of (a) forestry and (b) building developments.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: An area of the Bramley Training Estate was sold in 1992 to Wimpey Homes. The freehold transfer contains the following restrictions on title in relation to forestry and building development: Except where already constructed not to erect build or place or permit to be erected built or placed on the Specified Land or any part thereof any building or other structure or erection whether permanent or temporary without the previous consent in writing of the Vendor or other the owner or owners for the time being of the Retained Land. Not to (without the like consent) carry out any excavations or plant any trees or permit the same to be carried out or planted or to grow on the Specified Land or in such a position adjoining thereto as might endanger or cause damage to the Media in the Specified Land or make access thereto for maintenance purposes more difficult.

Military Bases: Bramley

Mr Ranil Jayawardena: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment his Department has made of the security of Bramley Training Area; and what recent steps his Department has taken to further secure the eastern border of that Area.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: Bramley Training Area is enclosed with security fencing to help prevent unauthorised public access.The Ministry of Defence (MOD) assesses that this is a necessary measure for the security of the training area.The MOD is also investigating ways to further enhance security on the eastern border of the Bramley Training estate, including measures to prevent vehicular access to limit antisocial behaviour.

Military Bases: Bramley

Mr Ranil Jayawardena: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to the Answer of 21 April 1995 to Question 19333 on Chemical Weapons, what assessment his Department has made of whether Operation APPLE and Operation CORNELIUS recovered all munitions buried in Bramley Training Area.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: In 2002 the Ministry of Defence (MOD) assessed that the Bramley Training Area no longer poses an active risk to safety, this followed munitions clearing operations in 1987 (Operation APPLE) and 1995 (Operation CORNELIUS). However, it is not possible to provide 100% assurance that the site is entirely clear of unexploded ordinance and therefore a formal digging ban remains in place in specified areas. This includes land within the current training area, which is still used regularly by the Army for dry-fire training, and parts of the estate sold by MOD in 1992, where MOD consent is required to build, dig or plant.

Veterans: North West

Conor McGinn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what estimate he has made of the number of armed forces veterans that live in (a) St Helens North, (b) St Helens Metropolitan Borough, (c) the Liverpool City Region and (d) the North West.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: An estimated distribution of the UK Armed Forces veteran population residing in Great Britain can be found in the 'Annual Population Survey: UK Armed Forces Veterans Residing in Great Britain', the latest edition of which (2016) is published at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/annual-population-survey-uk-armed-forces-veterans-residing-in-great-britain. As at 2016, there were an estimated 2.5 million UK Armed Forces veterans residing in households across Great Britain and 279,000 veterans living in households in the North-West region of England. The total number of veterans in St Helens North, St Helens Metropolitan Borough (Local Authority of St Helens) and Liverpool City Region is not held. However, information held by the Department indicates that, as at 31 March 2018, the numbers of veterans in receipt of an Armed Forces occupational pension, a disablement pension under the War Pensions Scheme or compensation under the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme residing in each of these areas is as follows: 338 veterans in the Parliamentary Constituency of St Helens North.772 veterans in the St Helens Metropolitan Borough (Local Authority of St Helens).7,105 veterans in the Liverpool City Region. As at 27 March 2011, from the responses provided in the Office for National Statistics 2011 Census, there were an estimated 2,780 working age veterans residing in the Local Authority of St Helens: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/census-2011-working-age-uk-armed-forces-veterans-residing-in-england-and-wales-index

Armed Forces: Cadets

Conor McGinn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how much funding his Department has allocated to the (a) Sea Cadets, (b) Army Cadet Force, (c) Air Training Corps and (d) Combined Cadet Force in each financial year since 2010.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: This information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. The Ministry of Defence does not directly allocate funding to Cadet forces, but instead funds are disaggregated to the single Services through the annual budget process. The single Services do not hold discrete cadet budgets and the cost of delivering and supporting cadet activity falls across a wide spread of different business areas, agencies and organisations.

Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust: Grants

Chris Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will publish the amount of funding each recipient has received under the Armed Forces Covenant Fund Trust's Local Grants Programme in each financial year since 2015-16.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: This information is published online at:http://www.covenantfund.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Local-grants-2015-16.pdfhttp://www.covenantfund.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Local-grants-2016-17.pdfhttp://www.covenantfund.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/Local-grants-2017-18.pdf

Armed Forces: Junior Doctors

Johnny Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the work of the Medical Defence Services with the Royal College of Psychiatrists Choose Psychiatry campaign to encourage more junior doctors to start a career as a military psychiatrist.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: The Defence Medical Services are closely involved with the Royal College of Psychiatrists Choose Psychiatry campaign. A part of the campaign, focused on military recruitment, began in October 2018. Using channels including Facebook, LinkedIn and YouTube, advertisements for military psychiatric positions are expected to attract significant interest.

Department for Work and Pensions

Universal Credit: Disability

Marsha De Cordova: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if she will make publish her Department’s calculations of the number of disabled people who will (a) lose benefit funding from the introduction of universal credit and (b) would lose benefit funding but for transitional protection.

Alok Sharma: When fully rolled out, Universal Credit will support low income households with around £62 billion a year across the whole of Great Britain. More people who are severely disabled will receive higher payments under Universal Credit. The rate in Universal Credit for these claimants is higher at £326 per month (up from £158 per month on the equivalent ESA Support Group). The managed migration regulations, which are currently before Parliament, includes transitional protections to ensure that no one loses out at the point of transition. This means that around 1 million disabled households will gain on average around £100 more per month on Universal Credit, than on legacy benefits. Within the legacy system there are £2.4bn of unclaimed benefits not taken up by people who need them, because they do not know about them. These Regulations will ensure that 700,000 more households will get paid their full entitlement under Universal Credit.

Universal Credit: Disability

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department has made an estimate of the number of disabled people who previously received a disability premium that have been migrated onto universal credit without transitional protections.

Sarah Newton: Holding answer received on 05 November 2018



We are not currently migrating any claimants from legacy benefits to Universal Credit. Claimants only move from existing benefits to Universal Credit through natural migration when they experience a significant change in their circumstances that triggers a new claim to benefit. Their entitlement is then calculated on the rules of their new benefit. This is a long-established principle which we maintain for Universal Credit. Subject to Parliamentary approval of the Managed Migration regulations, we will be spending £3.1 billion on transitional protections to ensure that no one loses out at the point of transition. This includes those currently receiving Severe Disability Premium (SDP). These regulations will prevent these claimants from moving over before the managed migration process, and provide financial protection for those who have already moved over. We do not hold data on all disabled people receiving all disability premiums that have moved onto Universal Credit; however, published data shows that of the 42,000 people who were on Employment Support Allowance (ESA) and started a claim on Universal Credit Full Service within one month of closing their claim between May 2015 and February 2018, 15,000 were on ESA (Income Related) with Enhanced Disability Premium (EDP) and/or SDP. Of those, 1,000 were in receipt of SDP only, 11,000 in receipt of EDP only and 3,000 in receipt of EDP and SDP. This is published here:https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/714479/ad-hoc-statistics-income-related-employment-and-support-allowance-february-2018.pdf

Universal Credit: Automated Credit Transfer

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Answer of 23 November to Question 191872, how many people receiving universal credit who do not have a bank account are paid through (a) a Post Office Card account, (b) someone else's bank account, (c) the Government's payment exception service and (d) other means; and what those other means are.

Alok Sharma: Payment into a bank, building society or credit union is the preferred way for Universal Credit to be paid. This reflects the notion of Universal Credit mirroring the world of work. For example, an employer would usually require a bank account for a salary to be paid into. The Post Office card account and the Government Payment Exception Service cannot be used for the receipt of wages and have no direct debit facility to support payment of housing costs and other bills. In April 2018 3,211 claims were receiving payments in to a Post Office Card Account and 15 claims were receiving payments via the Government Payment Exception Service method. In addition, there are a number of claimants receiving payments into another individual’s bank account but it is not possible to disaggregate this information from a wider dataset which includes, for example, accounts held in a person’s maiden name.

Universal Credit

Gerald Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment her Department has made of the number of payments of universal credit paid to claimants on time and correct at (a) first assessment and (b) second assessment; what the average amount of time taken has been to resolve such payments; and what the longest outstanding claim has been by number of weeks before it was resolved in (i) Merthyr Tydfil, (ii) South Wales and (iii) the UK.

Alok Sharma: Holding answer received on 17 December 2018



Universal Credit Full Service rolled out in Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney on 27 June 2018. For new claims to Universal Credit Full Service in ‘Merthyr Tydfil and Rhymney constituency’, that were due a first payment in August 2018, our internal data shows that 85% were paid in full on time and 92% were paid in part on time. The information requested for data on payment timeliness for second assessment period payments is not held as the sample size is not sufficient to provide a robust measure of payment timeliness for these claims. The information requested for data on payment timeliness details for South Wales is not held. Our most recent payment timeliness statistics for claims in Great Britain have been published on gov.uk and can be accessed at:https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/755723/universal-credit-statistics-to-11-october-2018.pdf This shows that for Great Britain, for first Assessment Periods where the payment was due in August 18: 84% were paid in full on time, and 89% paid in part on time. Our internal data shows for second Assessment Periods where the payment was due in August 18: 92% were paid in full on time and 96% paid in part on time. Social Security is a devolved matter in Northern Ireland and the delivery of Universal Credit in Northern Ireland is the responsibility of the Department for Communities, part of the Northern Ireland Executive. To provide analysis of the longest wait for payment would incur disproportionate cost as the information is not readily available. In many cases where full payment is not made on time, it is due to unresolved issues such as: claimants not accepting their Claimant Commitment or passing identity checks, or having outstanding verification issues, such as housing costs and self-employed earnings. In order to support claimants to claim, we have taken steps to improve verification processes. For example, we have listened to feedback and built processes into the system to make it easier and quicker for people to verify their housing costs, for example through the landlord portal.For anyone waiting for their first Universal Credit payment, advances are available, so no one should be left without means of support.

Universal Credit

Yvonne Fovargue: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people have had deductions from their universal credit of (a) 40 per cent and (b) 30 per cent for the repayment of advances on that benefit.

Alok Sharma: Of the eligible Universal Credit Full Service claims due a payment in October 2018 (990,000 claims – rounded to the nearest 10,000):11,000 (rounded to the nearest 1,000) were repaying advances at 40% of their Standard Allowance. This is 1% of eligible claims and 3% of claims that were repaying an advance.4,000 (rounded to the nearest 1,000) were repaying advances at 30% of their Standard Allowance. This is less than 0.5% of eligible claims and 1% of claims that were repaying an advance. The claim count figures in this text will not match the official statistics due to methodological differences. At Autumn Budget 2018 we announced that from October 2019, we will reduce the maximum rate at which deductions can be made from a Universal Credit award from 40% to 30% of the standard allowance. The total saving for claimants is £25 million in 2019/20, increasing to £65 million in 2023/24. This is detailed in Table 1.8 in the Budget 2018 which can be accessed at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/budget-2018-documents/budget-2018 This will ensure that those on Universal Credit are supported to repay debts in a more sustainable and manageable way. Additionally, from October 2021, the government will also increase the period over which advances will be recovered, from 12 to 16 months.

Universal Credit

Yvonne Fovargue: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people have had deductions from their universal credit of (a) 20 per cent for a single debt as a result of (i) a utility company bill, (ii) council tax arrears and (iii) other liabilities and (b) 30 per cent for two such debts.

Yvonne Fovargue: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people have had more than 40 per cent deducted from their universal credit payment to repay a combination of (a) advance payments of that benefit and (b)(i) utility debts and (ii) council tax arrears.

Alok Sharma: The Department does not have access to data outlining third party deductions by deduction type. As such, to provide this data would incur disproportionate cost.

Universal Credit: Immigrants

Mr Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 3 December 2018 to Question 196901 and the Answer of 4 December 2018 to Question 195084, how his Department determines and reviews benefit eligibility with consideration for criteria on (a) public funds restrictions and (b) genuine prospect of work tests in the absence of information recorded on benefit payment systems of the nationality and immigration status of claimants.

Alok Sharma: When a claim is made to income-related benefit, nationality and right to reside checks are made in order to determine eligibility for the benefit, however the nationality of the claimant is not recorded centrally across our benefit payment systems.

Personal Independence Payment: Denbighshire

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate her Department has made of the number of mandatory reconsiderations for personal independence payments in Denbighshire in each quarter since January 2015.

Sarah Newton: The information requested is provided in the table below. Personal Independence Payment Mandatory Reconsideration registrations by period of registration (Normal Rules) - Denbighshire  -2015201620172018January to March90240180120April to June50400150120July to September7036090120October to December90320120n/a Data has been rounded to the nearest 10 and includes people living in the Denbighshire Local Authority Area.

Personal Independence Payment: Medical Examinations

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what estimate she has made of the average waiting time for personal independence payment assessments to be completed from initial assessment to assessment being written up by the assessor in each quarter since January 2015.

Sarah Newton: We have interpreted your reference of ‘initial assessment’ to be the face to face assessment. Specific information relating to the average time a PIP assessment report is completed from the initial assessment is not a formal contractual requirement and PIP Assessment Guidance does not make any specific reference to write up times. In response to Paul Grays’ second independent review of PIP the DWP agreed that reports should be completed whilst the assessment remains ‘fresh’ in the mind of the health professional who completed the assessment. This allows the opportunity for further follow up work before the assessment report is finalised and sent to the Departmental decision maker. We will continue to work closely with both assessment providers to ensure their assessment reports are to the standard that the Department expects, and are completed within an optimum timeframe. High quality and timely assessment reports will continue to be key requirements for PIP contracts.

Universal Credit

Julie Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what support her Department provides to claimants of universal credit that are paid twice during a single monthly assessment period and are ineligible for further foodbank vouchers.

Julie Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what support his Department provides to claimants of universal credit that have been paid twice in one assessment period while in receipt of sick pay.

Julie Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what support her Department provides to claimants of universal credit that have been paid twice in one assessment period as a result of early payment of statutory sick pay.

Alok Sharma: Universal Credit has been designed to take earnings into account in a way that is fair and transparent. The assessment period and payment structure of Universal Credit is crucial in creating and maintaining the strong work incentives at the heart of Universal Credit and provides the flexibility to adjust when claimants move in and out of work regularly. The amount of Universal Credit paid to claimants reflects, as closely as possible, the actual circumstances of a household during each monthly assessment period. This includes any earnings reported by the claimant’s employer during that assessment period, regardless of when they were paid. Monthly assessment periods align to the way the majority of employees are paid and also allows Universal Credit to be adjusted each month. This means that if a claimant’s income falls, they will not have to wait several months for a rise in their Universal Credit. Some claimants are paid in differing patterns, including four-weekly, fortnightly, weekly or on a variable day every month. This may mean that for some months these claimants receive two or more sets of earnings during one Universal Credit assessment period (AP). This may reduce, or in some cases completely reduce the Universal Credit award that the claimant receives that month. Where people have potential income volatility because of their payment cycles, they can discuss the implications of this with their case managers and work coaches and can be referred to Personal Budgeting Support to help them manage their budgeting.

Universal Credit

Julie Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that claimants of universal credit are not subject to deductions as a result of being paid twice in one assessment period.

Alok Sharma: Universal Credit payments reflect, as closely as possible, the actual circumstances of a household during each monthly assessment period. This includes any earnings reported by a claimant’s employer during that assessment period, regardless of at what point in the assessment period these were paid. These monthly assessment periods aim to mirror the way the majority of employees are paid and allow for the Universal Credit award to be adjusted each month. No one will receive a lower award. To ensure their entitlements remain unchanged they should follow the following processes: DWP has worked with HMRC and employers to ensure that they are aware of the actions they need to take to reflect an employee’s earnings. This will ease the reporting burden on claimants so that the amount they receive is not reduced. Where this hasn’t happened a claimant should reapply within 7 days to ensure no reduction in what they receive. Re-application requires claimants to update existing information. This can be done by confirming a reclaim in their online account, or by calling our Freephone number. However, some claimants are paid in differing patterns, including four-weekly, fortnightly or on a variable day every month. This may mean that for some months these claimants receive two or more sets of earnings during one assessment period. This may reduce the Universal Credit award that the claimant receives.

Universal Credit

Julie Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many claimants of universal credit have received lower payments as a result of been paid twice in one assessment period in (a) the last six months and (b) the last three months in (i) the United Kingdom and (ii) the North East.

Alok Sharma: The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

Department for Work and Pensions: Training

Melanie Onn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what (a) training and (b)guidance has been provided to staff in her Department on the variation in the two child limit exemption for kinship carers and adopters applying for (i) child tax credit and (ii) universal credit.

Justin Tomlinson: We have provided comprehensive training for all of our Work Coaches to ensure that they can effectively apply the variation in two child limit exemptions. The guidance which supplements this training was updated on 28/11/18 and is published in the House of Commons Library is called “UC Full Service Guidance ‘Additional Amounts for Children’”.

Social Security Benefits: Carers

Melanie Onn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many kinship carers were affected by the benefit cap of (a) £20,000 and (b) £23,000 in 2017-18.

Justin Tomlinson: The Department does not hold data which would allow us to identify capped households under Housing Benefit or Universal Credit, who are kinship carers.

Universal Credit: Carers

Melanie Onn: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many kinship carers that applied for universal credit were exempt from the two child limit in 2017-18; and  what proportion of those carers were affected by the benefit cap.

Justin Tomlinson: The number of exemptions to the policy to provide support for a maximum of two children for kinship carers up to 2 April 2018 can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/child-tax-credit-and-universal-credit-claimants-statistics-related-to-the-policy-to-provide-support-for-a-maximum-of-2-children-april-2018 The Government does not hold information about how many kinship carers were affected by the Benefit Cap.

Widowed Parents Allowance: Cohabitation

Faisal Rashid: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps the Government is taking to extend the eligibility for widowed parents' allowance to unmarried parents.

Justin Tomlinson: We are currently considering how to proceed following the recent Supreme Court judgement which ruled it incompatible with ECHR principles to provide that cohabitees with children are not entitled to Widowed Parent’s Allowance. When we have looked at all the options, I will update Parliament further on this matter.

Department for Work and Pensions: Migrant Workers

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of her Department paying the £65 application fee for settled or pre-settled status for EU nationals (a) employed by and (b) working as an outsourced worker in her Department; what estimate she has made of the total cost to her Department of paying those fees; and what assessment she has made of the risks that the EU Settlement Scheme poses to the retention of EU nationals (i) employed by or (ii) working as an outsourced worker in her Department.

Justin Tomlinson: The UK Government currently does not plan to pay the Settled Status fee for its non-UK EU citizen employees.Outsourced workers are not employees of the Department and therefore this would be a decision for their employers. The numbers of non-UK EU citizens employed by DWP is not collected. It is therefore not possible to estimate the cost of paying the settled status fee for non-UK EU nationals employed directly by this department. We value the significant contribution made by EU citizens working in the Civil Service and we want these colleagues to continue to play a full role in the work of the Civil Service. We are committed to supporting our EU citizen employees across the Civil Service. The important engagement with EU UK networks across government will continue over the coming months.

Children: Maintenance

Sir Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many (a) inaccurate maintenance assessments and (b) incorrect maintenance adjustments were made to Child Support Agency schemes in (i) 1993 and (ii) 2003; and if she will make a statement.

Justin Tomlinson: The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

Children: Maintenance

Sir Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much in cash terms is owed in Child Support Agency schemes arrears.

Justin Tomlinson: £3,506 million is owned in cash terms in Child Support Agency scheme arrears. This is all arrears including Child Support Agency arrears that have already been transitioned to the Child Maintenance Service. This figure is published as part of the ‘1993 and 2003 Child Maintenance Schemes – Client Funds Account 2017/18’ which can be found here:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/child-maintenance-client-funds-accounts

Children: Maintenance

Sir Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how much in cash terms has been written off in Child Support Agency schemes arrears in each of the last 10 years.

Justin Tomlinson: As write off of Child Support Agency schemes arrears began in April 2012, there is not yet 10 years of data available.Between April 2012 and March 2013 £1,133,000 was written off in Child Support Agency arrears. The amount written off in Child Support Agency arrears has been published for each year since April 2013 - March 2014 as part of the Child Maintenance: Client Fund Accounts which can be found here:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/child-maintenance-client-funds-accounts

Department for Work and Pensions: Telephone Services

Sir Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how long her Department keeps its recordings of telephone conversations.

Justin Tomlinson: Telephone call recordings are retained for as long as there is a business requirement, this varies depending on the nature of the call.

Independent Case Examiner

Sir Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many cases submitted to her Department's Independent Case Examiner were upheld in each of the last five years.

Justin Tomlinson: The table below details the number of complaints either partially or fully upheld in each of the last five years. Reporting YearPartially upheldFully upheld2014/153392012015/162591642016/172801672017/182741592018/19*15292 * Figures up to 30 November 2018.

Child Support Agency: Misconduct

Sir Mike Penning: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many cases of misconduct in public office have been brought against the Child Support Agency; and how many of those cases were upheld.

Justin Tomlinson: We are not able to provide the data requested as the question relates to a specific criminal offence and is not something which is recorded by either Casework or on the HR systems.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Veterinary Medicine

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate his Department has made of the number of qualified veterinary surgeons that would be required to sign off export health certificates for the export of animals and animal products in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a deal.

David Rutley: We have analysed expected demand for export health certificates (EHCs) if we leave the EU without a deal. We have looked at the capacity within the current veterinary market, and taken into consideration a number of factors that will impact on the amount of time required by official vets to sign EHCs for EU-bound products. We are also making it possible for the providers of certification services to employ new support officers to carry out certain administrative aspects of the EHC process, freeing up the time and capacity of official vets to provide the final assurances for the EHC. We expect demand for EHCs will be at the lower end of estimates and expect efficiencies to be made by the larger exporters. Therefore, we estimate the market will need increased capacity equivalent to about 50 full-time official vets and providers of certification services are confident they can meet the demand.

Veterinary Medicine

Dr Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department plans to take to ensure the geographical distribution of veterinary surgeons required to monitor animal exports in the event the UK leaves the EU without a deal.

David Rutley: Official vets are located across the country to meet the demands from the market. Major providers of certification services are working to have a national-level provision for service users and they have provided assurances that they can meet anticipated levels of demand.

Livestock: Exports

Mr Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the effect of the UK leaving the EU without a deal on livestock exports to the EU.

David Rutley: It is in everyone’s interests to secure a good deal with the EU and that is what we are committed to. However, as any responsible government would, we are preparing for the possibility of no deal – and in all future scenarios we will be ensuring our high animal welfare standards are maintained.   We have been working on no deal livestock contingency planning, dealing with sector specific issues and preparing for all outcomes.   We have plans in place to ensure that the movement of animals and animal products is not disrupted. This includes a new import notification system, set to be ready by the end of March, and increased capacity amongst Official Veterinarians for Export Health Certificates to export foods of animal origin outside the EU.

Packaging: Recycling

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many packaging producers have been reported by packaging producer compliance schemes for not meeting their packaging recycling note obligations in each of the last five years; and how many of those reports have been investigated.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: Between December 2013 and 18 December 2018, 70 suspected packaging freeriders were reported to the Environment Agency by approved packaging compliance schemes.   All reported freeriders have initially been assessed to establish a risk profile.   64 of the 70 reported freeriders have been subject to further investigation. Of the remaining 6, 2 were found to already be registered and the remaining 4 were considered a low risk.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Brexit

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an estimate of the (a) cost to the public purse and (b) money spend on infrastructure required to prepare for the UK leaving the EU without a deal.

George Eustice: At Autumn Budget 2017, HM Treasury committed £3 billion to help Departments and Devolved Administrations make necessary preparations for leaving the EU in 2018/19 and 2019/20. This was subsequently increased by £0.5bn in the 2018 Budget, meaning the Government has invested over £4bn helping Departments and the Devolved Administrations prepare for EU Exit scenarios since 2016, including ‘no-deal’. This breaks down as: £412m of additional funding over the spending review period for the Department for Exiting the European Union, Department for International Trade and the Foreign & Commonwealth Office at Autumn Statement 2016. £286m of additional funding for 2017/18. A full breakdown of which can be found in Supplementary Estimates 2017/18:(https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/679738/PU2137_Supplementary_estimates_web.pdf) Over £1.5bn of additional funding for 2018/19. A full breakdown of which can be found in the Chief Secretary’s Written Ministerial Statement, HCWS540, laid on the 13th March:(https://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-statement/Commons/2018-03-13/HCWS540/) Over £2bn of additional funding for 2019/20. A full breakdown of which can be found in the Chief Secretary’s Written Ministerial Statement, HCWS1205, laid on the 18th December:(https://www.parliament.uk/business/publications/written-questions-answers-statements/written-statement/Commons/2018-12-18/HCWS1205/) Of the £1.5bn funding for 2018/19, Defra was allocated £310m with a further £10m being repurposed from existing budgets. The details of this allocation were not included in the 2018/19 Main Estimate but will be confirmed in the Supplementary Estimates, which is normally published by February each year. Of the £2bn funding for 2019/20, Defra was allocated £410m. This funding will support ongoing preparations in all scenarios with a further process expected to draw upon additional funds in 2019/20 to manage emerging no deal risks if and when they materialise.

Home Office

Asylum: LGBT People

Catherine West: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether he or Ministers in his Department have met the hon. Member for Wells to discuss LGBT asylum cases.

Caroline Nokes: The Immigration Minister and the Home Secretary have met the Hon. Member for Wells in an informal capacity.

Radicalism: Islam

Mr Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that funds from the public purse do not inadvertently assist or fund Islamist extremism.

Victoria Atkins: The Home Office provides a wide range of funding and support to civil society groups to counter extremism and hate crime. The processes for assessment and delivery include checks on groups and individuals to highlight extremism related risk and inform decision making prior to support being awarded.Checks are refreshed on a regular basis for those in receipt of support. In addition, grant agreements include a clause which enables the Home Office to withdraw funding from groups if they are found to be taking part in extremist or hateful activity.

Immigration

Chuka Umunna: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps his Department is taking to resolve efficiently immigration cases that have raised issues on the European Convention on Human Rights.

Caroline Nokes: Immigration cases which raise issues under the ECHR are primarily those made as family and private life claims. These can be very complex and this may extend the time taken to make a decision on the application. This may be due to the customer’s individual circumstances, the need for further evidence, or when further information raises issues that require consideration.Factors such as legal challenges, amendments to the immigration rules, policy and processes may also contribute to the overall processing time of an application.The transparency data published quarterly shows that the number of human rights (Article 8)/complex cases in progress at quarter three of 2017 was reported to be 49,950. At quarter three of 2018 was reported to be 39,000.Sources [at tabs InC_03]: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/in-country-migration-data-november-2017https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/in-country-migration-data-november-2018

Immigrants: Detainees

David Linden: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many (a) victims of trafficking (b) victims of torture and (c) people with other special reception needs were detained in the UK in 2018.

Caroline Nokes: All decisions to detain individuals, or to maintain the detention of individuals that are considered to be particularly vulnerable to harm in immigration detention, are made in line with the Adults at Risk in Immigration Detention (AAR) policy, found at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/adults-at-risk-in-immigration-detention.The AAR policy has strengthened our focus on vulnerability, and the existing presumption against the detention of those who are particularly vulnerable to harm in detention. Decisions on whether or not to detain individuals have never been predicated on absolute exclusions for any particular group. There will always be occasions on which it will be appropriate to detain particular individuals.Decisions to detain are made on a case-by-case basis through the striking of a balance between any vulnerabilities identified and the immigration factors of a case. Only where the immigration factors outweigh the level of risk identified under the adults at risk policy, will detention be maintained. For this reason, individuals will not necessarily be released from detention because they have been identified as an adult at risk. Individuals identified as an adult at risk may in any case be released from detention for other reasons, such as a casework barrier to their removal.The Detention Service Order ‘Management of Adults at Risk in Immigration Detention 08/2016’ found here; https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/management-of-adults-at-risk-in-immigration-detention, provides requirements and guidance for the Home Office and staff in Immigration Removal Centres in the safeguarding and risk management of individuals considered ‘at risk’. This Detention Service Order compliments several others which may be applicable to an ‘at risk’ or vulnerable person detained in the immigration detention estate. All Detention Service Orders can be accessed through the Gov.uk website.

Serious Violence Taskforce

Vicky Foxcroft: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when the Serious Violence Taskforce will next be meeting.

Victoria Atkins: The Serious Violence Taskforce is next due to meet on 9 January 2019.

Immigration: Families and Private Life

Kate Osamor: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many requests for a change of conditions of leave granted on the basis of family or private life were received from August 2017 to August 2018; and how many of those applications were (a) granted, (b) refused and (c) still awaiting a decision.

Caroline Nokes: There is no specific application type within our electronic systems entitled ‘Change of Conditions’. Answering this question would require manual inspection of all family and private life leave to remain applications within the date range. This would incur disproportionate cost to the public purse.  The available information relates to grants and refusals of in-country leave to remain, based on family life, or private life, which is published in the quarterly Immigration Statistics, Extensions table ex_01_q, latest edition at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/immigration-statistics-year-ending-september-2018/list-of-tables#extensions

Slavery: Victim Support Schemes

Siobhain McDonagh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 7 December 2018 to Question 196679 on Slavery: Victim Support Schemes, whether he plans to adopt directly the Human Trafficking Foundation’s slavery and trafficking survivor care standards or introduce standards based on those produced by the Human Trafficking Foundation.

Victoria Atkins: The Government is committed to ensuring minimum standards of care in the new victim care contract. Compliance with a minimum standard of care will be monitored using an inspection regime, which will be based on the Human Trafficking Foundation’s Slavery and Trafficking Survivor Care Standards.

Human Trafficking: Victim Support Schemes

Siobhain McDonagh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 7 December 2018 to Question 196680 on Human trafficking: victim support schemes, whether there will be a public consultation on any future decisions on subsistence rates paid to people supported through the Victim Care Contract.

Victoria Atkins: Government is committed to ensuring that potential victims of modern slavery receive the right amount of financial and material support to meet their needs during their reflection and recovery period.There are no current plans to do a public consultation on the future subsistence rates.

Asylum: Applications

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many new asylum applications were submitted by people who had previously been refused asylum in the UK in 2018.

Caroline Nokes: If a person who has previously been refused asylum in the UK raises new reasons to claim asylum, this will be recorded as a Further Submission rather than a new asylum application. Home Office records note that between 1 January 2018 and 30 September 2018, a total of 6,195 Further Submissions were lodged by 5,847 persons who had previously been refused asylum.

Asylum: Nationality

Kate Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the five most common nationalities of asylum applicants were; and how many applications were received from nationals of those five countries in 2018.

Caroline Nokes: The Home Office publishes data, in its quarterly Immigration Statistics re-lease, on the number of asylum applications received in the UK, by nationali-ty (table as_01_q Asylum, volume 1)The latest data cover the period up until 30 September 2018, available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/758192/asylum1-sep-2018-tables.ods

Home Office: Overseas Aid

Mr Bob Seely: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how much funding his Department has allocated to programmes overseas that is not part of Official Development Assistance in each of the last three years; and how much such funding his Department plans to allocate in each of the next two years.

Caroline Nokes: The government publishes the threshold which would need to be crossed in order for a written question to be responded.To obtain the information requested would exceed the disproportinate cost threshold.

Domestic Violence: Females

Emma Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment his Department has made of trends in the level of domestic violence against women and girls.

Victoria Atkins: The most recent Crime Survey of England and Wales shows that the number of women experiencing domestic abuse in the last year is the lowest since the survey began. Police recorded domestic abuse crimes have increased by over 60% in the last three years, demonstrating increased victim confidence to report and better police recording of these crimes.We are using the Office for National Statistics domestic abuse statistical bulletin and the 3,200 responses to the domestic abuse consultation to develop an ambitious package of action to transform the Government’s response to domestic abuse, which will include the publication of the draft Domestic Abuse Bill in this session.

Asylum: Torture

Emma Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many asylum applications were made by victims of torture in each of the last eight years.

Caroline Nokes: The Home Office does not record the information in such a way that allows us to report on how many asylum applications were made by victims of torture in each of the eight last years.The Home Office does publish data which provides the total number of asylum applications for main applicants, by country of nationality, broken down by year. This can be found in tab as_01 at volume 1 of the quarterly Immigration Statistics release:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/immigration-statistics-year-ending-september-2018/list-of-tablesAll officials making decisions on asylum claims receive a dedicated five-week foundation training programme which includes specific sections on torture and medical reports and ensure alleged victims of torture are assessed fairly and sensitively.

Asylum: Torture

Emma Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of Government guidelines for processing asylum applications from victims of torture.

Emma Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what definition of torture his Department uses to assess asylum claims.

Caroline Nokes: We have a proud history of granting protection to those who need it. All asylum claims lodged in the UK are carefully considered on their individual merits. Where someone has a well-founded fear of persecution or serious harm they are offered protection and not expected to return to their country.We have published detailed Home Office guidance for caseworkers on how to assess asylum claims, which includes guidance on what amounts to persecution, defined as a serious violation of basic human rights in the Refugee or Person in Need of International Protection (Qualification) Regulations 2006. http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2006/2525/contents/madeThere is no single definition of torture used to assess asylum claims as caseworkers must consider whether a person faces persecution or serious harm on return to their country of origin.Before guidance is published, we consult with key partners, including UNHCR, to ensure it reflects our obligations under the Refugee Convention. The guidance is also reviewed regularly to ensure it takes account of developments in refugee caselaw. The guidance is available on gov.uk at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/considering-asylum-claims-and-assessing-credibility-instruction

Active Change Foundation: Expenditure

Chris Williamson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what funding his Department has allocated to the Active Change Foundation in each financial year since 2008-09.

Mr Ben Wallace: Prevent funding is prioritised based on threat and risk across England and Wales. Priority areas receive funding for people and projects delivered by civil society organisations that counter terrorist narratives and build resilience in communities against radicalisation.The Home Office does not provide information regarding individual funding allocations of local Prevent projects

Radicalism: Crime Prevention

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment he has made of trends in the level of referrals of individuals suspected of far-right wing activity to Prevent.

Mr Ben Wallace: Between April 2015 and March 2018 there were 21,042 referrals to Prevent in England and Wales, of which 3,039 related to right wing extremism. These referrals come from frontline practitioners, police and the public.In 2015/16, 759 (10%) of the 7,631 referrals related to right wing extremism. In 2016/17 968 (16%) of the 6,093 referrals related to right wing extremism. In 2017/18 1312 (18%) of the 7,318 referrals related to right wing extremism. This reflects a 73% increase in the number of referrals relating to right wing extremism over the previous three years.It is also worth noting the breakdown of individuals who later go on to receive support on Channel in England and Wales. In 2015/16, 26% of those that received support on Channel related to right wing extremism. This increased to 44% in 2017/18, marking a significant increase in the proportion of right wing extremist Prevent referrals going on to receive support on Channel.Prevent explicitly addresses all forms of terrorism, including when it is inspired by the ideologies of right wing extremism. The Home Office will continue to allocate resource against the areas of highest risk.

Radicalism

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps his Department is taking to tackle far right extremism.

Victoria Atkins: Through the 2015 Counter Extremism Strategy the Government is committed to tackling extremism in all its forms and protecting our communities from the serious social harms it causes. This includes defeating far right extremism.We have: created a network of more than 240 civil society partners confronting extremism in their communities - including 36 focused on countering far right narratives – through the Building a Stronger Britain Together programme;  awarded over 160 grants to fund additional security measures for places of worship across England and Wales since 2016;  excluded and refused entry to the UK to known right wing extremists; and  supported Local Authorities in tackling far-right extremism.The Home and Communities Secretaries will also co-chair roundtables on Islamophobia and antisemitism in the new year, with part of the discussions focusing on the impact of the far right on Muslim and Jewish communitiesThe independent Commission for Countering Extremism is also supporting the Government to defeat the scourge of extremism.

Asylum: Glasgow

Mr Paul Sweeney: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many asylum seeker households have been accommodated in each postcode area in Glasgow.

Caroline Nokes: The Home Office publishes quarterly figures on the number of asylum seek-ers housed in dispersed accommodation, including under Section 95, by lo-cal authority in the Immigration Statistics release, in table as_16q and 17q in volume 4 of the Asylum data tables. These are available at:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/immigration-statistics-year-ending-september-2018-data-tables

Serco: Complaints

Mr Paul Sweeney: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many complaints were (a) made and (b) upheld against Serco COMPASS staff in 2018, in each region of the UK.

Caroline Nokes: The information requested could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Asylum: Housing

Mr Paul Sweeney: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many single parent asylum-seeking families are sharing accommodation provided by Serco.

Caroline Nokes: The use of individual properties across provider’s portfolios changes daily subject to demand.Information on the current number of properties shared between single parent families could only be provided at disproportionate cost by examination of individual provider property records.

Serco: Fines

Mr Paul Sweeney: To ask the Secretary of state for the Home Department, how many fines relating to key performance indicators were issued to Serco in its capacity as the asylum accommodation provider in Scotland in 2018.

Caroline Nokes: The deductions of Service Credits are considered to be commercially confidential and as such the Home Office does not publish this information.

Asylum: Housing

Mr Paul Sweeney: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many people in Scotland will be affected by Serco's decision of  27 July 2018 to issue 7 day lock change eviction notices to asylum seekers that have had their asylum support discontinued.

Caroline Nokes: Asylum seekers who are assessed as being desitute are provided with accommodation until their asylum claim and any appeal is finally determinedSerco informed 17 people that their accommodation support was ending with 21 days’ notice. These service users were no longer entitled to financial support or accommodation as their claims had been decided.We are unable to provide data for people who will be affected as claims are continually progressing and asylum seekers are able to submit further submissions at any time during the process.We continue to work closely with Serco and Glasgow City Council to monitor cases that are awaiting a legal decision and Serco have decided to pause the issuance of further lock-change notices whilst this previously untested area of Scottish housing law is clarified through the Courts.

Vetting: Standards

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps the Government is taking to reduce waiting times for checks by the Disclosure and Barring Service; and what support is being given to local police forces to help with the workload these checks require of them.

Victoria Atkins: The Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) process over 4 million checks every year and operate to published service standards set out here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/dbs-business-plan-2018-2019 The Home Office, as the sponsoring Department for the DBS, monitors performance to track attainment of these standards.The Home Office has published statutory guidance to assist chief officers of police to provide the correct information for enhanced criminal record certificates. The guidance is published here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/statutory-disclosure-guidanceThe DBS monitor and work closely with local police forces to minimise any delays to applications being processed. All police force disclosure unit performance data is published in line with DBS’ publication scheme. This can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/dbs-dataset-5-police-disclosure-unit-performance

Windrush Generation

Afzal Khan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to point six of the Windrush Scheme: Support in urgent and exceptional circumstances, what criteria his Department will use to assess a reasonable degree of evidence; and whether evidence supplied as part of this scheme will be (a) used for any other purpose by the Home Office, and (b) shared with other Government Departments.

Caroline Nokes: The Taskforce has adopted a flexible approach to evidence in helping people to establish and demonstrate their immigration status under the Windrush Scheme. The Home Office will adopt the same flexible approach in considering requests for support in urgent and exceptional circumstances and will provide assistance to applicants in considering what information they might provide to support their request.Evidence supplied by applicants in requesting such support will only be taken into account by the Home Office for the purposes of a future compensation claim.

Scotland Office

City Region Deals: Tayside

Kirstene Hair: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, what steps his Department is taking to ensure an equitable distribution of Tay Cities growth deal funding to (a) urban, (b) rural and (b) local government areas that are part of the deal.

David Mundell: My officials have been working closely with local partners since proposals were submitted to Government in 2016. It is important to note that the decision on which projects to include in any Deal is a matter for local partners in the first instance. From there, the Government is keen to deliver an equitable Deal that improves economic prospects across the whole region. The UK Government contribution of £150 million ensures this with a package of measures to deliver transformational economic change across the whole of the Tay Cities Region. In Dundee, we will invest in a centre of expertise for forensic science at the University and a Cyber Security Centre of Excellence at Abertay University. We will also support the Aviation Academy for Scotland. We are supporting three projects at the Eden Campus at Guardbridge in North East Fife to strengthen both business and academia. I was also pleased to announce a wide ranging package of support for Perth & Kinross, with projects ranging from the iconic Perth City Hall to the cutting edge research at the James Hutton Institute. Other investments here include digital connectivity and plastics recycling.  In the absence of enough suitable proposals in the Angus area, as part of the Heads of Terms agreement for the Tay Cities, the Government has agreed to ring-fence an Angus Fund and to hold further discussions over the next 12 months with Angus Council and local partners to identify proposals that will help to achieve that equitable distribution by investing in the Angus economy.

Cabinet Office

Government Departments: Data Protection

Jo Platt: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many Government Departments use (a) a domain message authentication reporting and conformance cybersecurity system (b) a system for identifying external emails to recipients and (c) a protocol for timely staff reporting of suspicious emails.

Mr David Lidington: Active Cyber Defence (ACD) is a collection of services implemented by the NCSC that aim to protect the UK from the high-volume commodity attacks that affect people’s everyday lives. Mail Check is one of these services which enables an organisation to authenticate the email they send so that a receiver can determine if it is genuine or fake using Domain-based Message Authentication Protocol (DMARC). The NCSC plans to implement Mail Check for all 44 Central Government departments - in December 2018 95% were actively using Mail Check and 80% had adopted a basic DMARC policy.

Government Departments: Data Protection

Jo Platt: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether the Government security profession unit has a target for the number of cyber-security professionals it plans to recruit.

Mr David Lidington: Government departments are responsible for ensuring adequate staffing levels to meet the organisational risk it carries. Though no single target number for cyber security specialists exist, the Government Security Profession team will support departments through the delivery of centralised strategy for the recruitment and retention of cyber skills in departments.

Census: Sikhs

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to paragraph 3.105 of the Census White Paper, what how many and proportion of the Sikh population would not accept an additional speciﬁc response option to the 2021 Census ethnic group question.

Chloe Smith: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the Authority to reply.



UKSA Final Response
(PDF Document, 133.49 KB)

Department for Exiting the European Union

EU Grants and Loans

Mr Edward Vaizey: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what discussions he has had with the European Commission on UK’s future involvement in Creative Europe and Horizon2020.

Chris Heaton-Harris: Following productive discussions with the EU, a clear vision for the UK’s future relationship with the EU has been set out in the recent Political Declaration. This included an agreement that both parties will establish general principles, terms and conditions for the UK’s participation in future EU programmes in areas of shared interest, including in areas such as science and innovation, culture and education. The next generation of EU programmes are currently under negotiation in the EU. The Government will decide whether to participate in specific programmes in light of these negotiations and wider UK priorities.Furthermore, under the terms of the proposed Withdrawal Agreement, UK entities' right to participate in EU programmes during the current Multiannual Financial Framework period, such as Horizon 2020 and Creative Europe, will be unaffected by the UK's withdrawal from the EU for the lifetime of projects financed by the current MFF. According to the Withdrawal Agreement, UK based organisations and individuals will be able to bid for funding, participate in and lead consortia, until programme closure.

Dover Port: Domestic Visits

Alan Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, pursuant to the Answer of 4 December 2018 to Question 196873 on Dover Port: Domestic Visits, if he will publish (a) dates and (b) details of the 19 port visits by Ministers of his Department.

Mr Robin Walker: DExEU ministers have undertaken 24 visits to 20 ports since the department started: 06/10/2016 - David Jones - Manchester Airport06/10/2016 - Lord Bridges - Port of Tilbury01/11/2016 - Lord Bridges - Port of Felixstowe20/12/2016 - David Jones - Port of Southampton29/03/2018 - Suella Braverman - Port of Southampton21/12/2016 - David Jones - Port of Liverpool21/12/2016 - David Jones - Liverpool John Lennon Airport31/07/2017 - Robin Walker - Poole Harbour28/09/2017 - Robin Walker - Belfast Harbour26/01/2018 - David Davies - Teesport10/04/2018 - Suella Braverman - Heathrow Airport03/09/2018 - Chris Heaton-Harris - Heathrow Airport24/04/2018 - Suella Braverman - Eurotunnel24/08/2018 - Chris Heaton-Harris - Eurotunnel14/05/2018 - Suella Braverman - Port of Dover24/08/2018 - Chris Heaton-Harris - Port of Dover01/06/2018 - Suella Braverman - Port of Immingham01/06/2018 - Suella Braverman - Port of Grimsby20/08/2018 - Chris Heaton-Harris - East Midlands Airport17/08/2018 - Chris Heaton-Harris - DP World London Gateway04/10/2018 - Chris Heaton-Harris - Port of Holyhead12/10/2018 - Chris Heaton-Harris - Portsmouth International Port02/11/2018 - Dominic Raab - Warrenpoint Harbour02/11/2018 - Dominic Raab - Port of Larne

Public Sector

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what recent assessment his Department has made of the potential effect on public services in (a) Coventry, (b) the West Midlands and (c) the UK of the UK leaving the EU without a deal.

Chris Heaton-Harris: We expect EU Exit to present both opportunities and challenges for regions across the country. My Department is working closely with local government, key sector representatives and with other Government Departments including Health, Education, Housing, Communities and Local Government to consider potential national or local impacts, which may arise from EU Exit, and the necessary preparations for a wide range of scenarios.This government has been clear that we do not want or expect a ‘no deal’ scenario. The UK and the EU have agreed the terms of the UK’s smooth and orderly exit from the EU in the form of the Withdrawal Agreement, and a detailed political declaration on the terms of our future relationship. Nevertheless, the government will continue to do the responsible thing and prepare for all eventualities. Extensive work to prepare for a no deal scenario has been under way for over two years and we are taking necessary steps to ensure the country continues to operate smoothly from the day we leave.Since the referendum, DExEU Ministers have made frequent visits to regions across the country, including to the West Midlands, and are committed to continuing this productive engagement with businesses and local government throughout the UK.The Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government are leading an extensive programme of engagement, listening to the sector and gathering intelligence on council concerns and preparedness, which has included discussions with Chief Executives from Coventry City Council, and Solihull Council.Senior policy officials have engaged with local authority representatives from throughout the West Midlands, through various forums, including a regional event in Birmingham on 13 December. Representatives from Coventry and the West Midlands are also key contributors to the Ministry of Housing, Community and Local Government’s EU Exit Advisory Panel.This extensive programme of engagement is replicated throughout England, enabling the Government to assess and support local authority preparedness and to discuss and address the issues and opportunities of EU Exit.

Insurance: EU Countries

Sandy Martin: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what estimate his Department has made of the potential effect on sales of insurance products in the EU by UK companies of the UK leaving the EU outside the Customs Union.

Chris Heaton-Harris: Leaving the Customs Union will have no direct impact on sales of insurance products in the EU by UK firms, as the Customs Union only applies to goods.Financial services is an important sector for the UK and for the EU. The Government’s position remains that we should agree a close future relationship on financial services with the EU that preserves the mutual benefits of our uniquely integrated markets, while protecting financial stability, consumers, businesses and taxpayers across the UK and the EU.In line with the government’s proposals, the Political Declaration includes commitments to close and structured cooperation on regulatory and supervisory matters in financial services, grounded in the economic partnership.

Brexit

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what discussions he has had with his EU counterparts on the potential effect on UK representation in the European Parliament of an extension to the Article 50 notice period.

Chris Heaton-Harris: The Government has been clear that the UK will cease to be a member of the European Union on 29 March 2019. After this date the UK will no longer have Members of the European Parliament.

Brexit

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, what estimate he has made of the amount of money each Department has spent on preparing for the UK leaving the EU without a deal.

Chris Heaton-Harris: The Department is tasked with successfully delivering the UK’s exit from the European Union. A key element of this is ensuring preparation for all possible scenarios, including leaving the EU without a deal.The Department’s costs, along with planned Estimates for future years, can be found in the latest Annual Report and Accounts (link). It is not however possible to accurately attribute the Department’s costs to specific scenario planning, such as “no deal”, as the Department’s work is not compartmentalised in such a manner.The Department cannot comment on the cost of the work performed by other departments. Such questions would need redirecting to each department.

Department for International Trade

Sheep Meat: Saudi Arabia

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, whether he has had discussions with his counterpart in Saudi Arabia on exporting lamb to that country.

Graham Stuart: The Department for International Trade has worked closely with the FCO, Defra and the Saudi Food and Drug Authority resulting in the ban on importing lamb and goat meat being lifted in February 2018 with final approval on 16 April 2018.

Tradeshow Access Programme

Emma Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, when he plans to announce the 2019-20 Tradeshow Access Programme.

Graham Stuart: The Trade Access Programme (TAP) list of supported events for Q1 2019-20 (1 April 2019 – 30 June 2019) will be announced/published on Friday 21 December. The TAP list of supported events for Q2 - Q4 2019-20 (1 July 2019 - 31 March 2020) will be announced/published in the New Year.

Exports

Mrs Sheryll Murray: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, what progress the Government has made on its Export Strategy.

Dr Liam Fox: The Export Strategy sets out how the Government will encourage, inform, connect and finance UK businesses to enable them to take advantage of the international demand for British goods and services. Last month we launched an enhanced digital service on great.gov.uk, connecting businesses to over 20,000 export opportunities.

Exports

Mr Mark Prisk: What progress is being made on increasing UK exports.

Dr Liam Fox: The Export Strategy sets out how the Government will encourage, inform, connect and finance UK businesses to enable them to take advantage of the international demand for British goods and services. Last month we launched an enhanced digital service on great.gov.uk, connecting businesses to over 20,000 export opportunities.

Department for International Trade: Freedom of Information

Mr Paul Sweeney: What recent steps his Department has taken to improve its response times to freedom of information requests.

Dr Liam Fox: In our most recent Freedom of Information (FOI) statistical release my department answered 90% of FOI requests on time, including permitted extensions, in the third quarter of 2018.

Overseas Trade: Israel

Nigel Huddleston: What recent discussions he has had with the Government of Israel on bilateral trade and investment.

Dr Liam Fox: I met with Prime Minister Netanyahu and Minister of Economy and Industry Eli Cohen during a visit to Israel in November, when we discussed our record levels of trade and investment and noted the good progress made on our continuity trade arrangement. I agreed with President Netanyahu to increase trade cooperation through joint Government sponsorship of a high-level trade and investment conference in 2019.

Aerospace Industry: Trade Promotion

Rachel Maclean: What steps he is taking to promote aerospace exports.

Graham Stuart: The UK’s Aerospace businesses are among the most innovative in the world, they turned over more than £35 billion last year and exported 85% of everything produced. Our teams across the UK and in 108 countries around the world use every opportunity to take the industry to even greater heights.

Overseas Trade: Israel

Bob Blackman: What opportunities he identified for further trade co-operation with Israel during his recent visit to that country.

Dr Liam Fox: I met with Prime Minister Netanyahu and Minister of Economy and Industry Eli Cohen during a visit to Israel in November, when we discussed our record levels of trade and investment and noted the good progress made on our continuity trade arrangement. I agreed with President Netanyahu to increase trade cooperation through joint Government sponsorship of a high-level trade and investment conference in 2019.

Exports

Tom Pursglove: What progress the Government has made on its Export Strategy.

Dr Liam Fox: The Export Strategy sets out how the Government will encourage, inform, connect and finance UK businesses to enable them to take advantage of the international demand for British goods and services. Last month we launched an enhanced digital service on great.gov.uk, connecting businesses to over 20,000 export opportunities.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Broadband: West Midlands

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of the level of access to superfast fibre broadband in (a) Birmingham Northfield, (b) Birmingham and (c) the West Midlands; and what steps he is taking to improve such access.

Margot James: According to Thinkbroadband (http://labs.thinkbroadband.com/local/england), 96.8% of premises in Birmingham Northfield constituency currently have access to Superfast Broadband. Similarly, 96.8% of premises in the city of Birmingham has access to Superfast broadband. The West Midlands area is slightly higher with 97% of premises having this access. This is up from 60% in 2010. All three areas currently sit above the UK average.

Broadband

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of using alternative and emerging technologies such as G.fast to support the roll-out of superfast and ultrafast broadband.

Margot James: The UK has good digital connectivity to meet the needs of today’s consumers. This includes G.fast technology, which is used by Openreach to deliver ultrafast speeds of more than 100 Mbps, using their existing part-copper infrastructure. However, the Government is clear that demand for faster, more reliable and resilient broadband will rise and that the UK needs to increase the number of full fibre connections to deliver a nationwide gigabit capable broadband network by 2033. Our Future Telecoms Infrastructure Review (FTIR), published in July 2018, set out a strategy for delivering that ambition. This includes direct investment into full fibre through the £190 million Local Full Fibre Networks (LFFN) Challenge Fund and the £67 million Gigabit Voucher Scheme. At Budget, the Chancellor announced a further £200 million from the National Productivity Investment Fund (NPIF) to pilot innovative approaches to deploying full fibre in rural areas. The Government is also working to improve mobile broadband. We are committed to extending geographic coverage to 95% of the UK by 2022, and to becoming a world leader in 5G, with the majority of the population covered by a 5G signal by 2027. As part of this, Government is investing £200 million in a 5G Testbeds and Trials programme.

Mobile Phones: Rural Areas

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions he has had with mobile phone companies on those companies sharing resources to improve coverage in rural communities.

Margot James: The Secretary of State and Ministers hold regular meetings with Mobile Network Operators to discuss a range of issues. We accept that sharing of sites and infrastructure can make deployment of mobile network infrastructure more efficient and cost-effective. Government supports industry initiatives to provide a more efficient service to consumers, providing that this does not restrict competition in the market.

Tourism

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps he is taking to encourage tourists to visit both Northern Ireland and the UK.

Michael Ellis: VisitBritain (VB) is responsible for marketing the UK as a whole to the rest of the world and have a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Tourism Northern Ireland (TNI) to work together on a variety of promotional activities. As part of this MOU, Northern Ireland products are used in marketing campaigns such as GREAT, images of Northern Ireland are used in VBImages and they participate in various business events. In particular, this year saw the Social Tourism Summit hosted by VB and TNI which brought together over 40 social media bloggers from 14 countries as well as travel delegates from the rest of the world to discuss innovations in digital travel marketing.

Mobile Libraries: Disadvantaged

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if he will take steps to increase the number of library buses in deprived areas.

Michael Ellis: The responsibility of the Secretary of State under the Public Libraries and Museums Act 1964 is to superintend, and promote the improvement of, the public library service provided by local authorities in England only. Public libraries policy in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales is a devolved matter and is the responsibility of the Devolved Administrations. Libraries NI delivers the library service in Northern Ireland. It has indicated that it has no plans to extend mobile library services further, and keeps its mobile library routes under constant review.

Film: Finance

Rebecca Pow: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if he will take steps to ensure ongoing funding for the distribution of British films abroad after the cessation of the Creative Europe funding scheme in 2020.

Margot James: As the Prime Minister stated in her Mansion House speech, the UK is committed to continuing cultural collaboration between the UK and EU. Where possible, the UK will continue to participate in EU programmes where there is mutual benefit to the UK and the EU, ultimately, this will be determined as part of the future partnership negotiations between the UK and the EU. The British Film Institute (BFI) and its partners offer extensive support to the film industry - from development and skills to distribution and audiences - and this will continue independently of Creative Europe.

Horseracing: Betting

Conor McGinn: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what his Department’s policy is on horserace betting levy reform; and if he will make a statement.

Mims Davies: In April 2017, we made significant reforms to the Horserace Betting Levy by fixing the Levy rate at 10% and extending the scope of the Levy to include offshore online bookmakers for the first time. These reforms resulted in an extra £45m in statutory Levy income for 2017/18 to support the racing industry and we expect a similar uplift for 2018/19. The uplift in income from the reformed Levy has contributed to record prize money of £142.5m in 2017/18 and has also provided increased funding for equine welfare, industry recruitment and training, and measures related to veterinary science and education. We note the Parliamentary Scrutiny committees’ reports regarding proposed changes to the administration of the reformed Levy and will consider them carefully.

Sports: Schools

Alex Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of the role that physical education and school sport can play in promoting mental wellbeing amongst children and young people.

Mims Davies: Physical education and school sport is vital in promoting mental wellbeing amongst children and young people. The recent publication of data from the Active Lives: Children and Young People survey confirms that active children are happier: the most active children report a mean happiness score of 7.5 (out of 10), compared to 6.8 for those who are less active. Benefits include building confidence, managing anxiety and depression, and increasing self-esteem, cognitive skills and improving learning and attainment. In December last year the Department of Health and Social Care and Department for Education published Transforming children and young people’s mental health provision: a green paper, which highlighted how important physical activity is for good mental health and wellbeing. Furthermore, the cross-government sport strategy, Sporting Future, sets mental wellbeing as one of its five key outcomes.

Gambling: Children

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has had made of the relationship between 16 year olds purchasing scratch cards and gambling addiction in later life.

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether he plans to raise the age for purchasing scratch cards from 16 to 18 years old.

Mims Davies: When the conclusions of the Government’s Gambling Review were announced in May 2018, the Government said it would consider whether 16 remained an appropriate age limit to play all National Lottery products, including scratchcards, as part of work on the next licence competition. The evidence in this area is currently being reviewed and analysed, including the number of young people who play National Lottery games and whether participation leads to problem gambling behaviours in later life.

Emergencies

Neil Coyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, when the National Emergencies Trust will be established; which organisation will provide the fundraising platform for that trust; and what the criteria his Department used to make that decision.

Mims Davies: The charity sector has developed proposals to establish a new charity, the National Emergencies Trust. Its purpose would be to co-ordinate charitable fundraising and distribution in response to a major incident. The proposed charity would be independent from Government, and questions relating to how the charity would operate would be for the charity itself, once established.

Broadband: Scotland

Kirstene Hair: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what discussions officials in his Department have had with representatives from local authorities in Scotland on the roll-out of superfast broadband.

Margot James: There is a regular and good working level relationship between DCMS and the Scottish government on the roll-out of superfast broadband. Discussions cover superfast projects, R100, Local Full Fibre Networks (LFFN) projects and use of the DCMS Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme which was launched in April. To date, 425 vouchers have been issued totaling just £1.08m. We are also engaging with Scottish Government and local bodies on the Rural Gigabit Connectivity programme announced at Budget 2018.

National Lottery: Franchises

Kirstene Hair: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether an equitable distribution of National Lottery funding throughout the UK will be a criterion in the bidding process for the National Lottery franchise.

Mims Davies: The licence to operate the National Lottery does not cover distribution of good cause funding. The roles of operating the National Lottery and distributing funds to good causes are separate and distinct. National Lottery funding is awarded by 12 distributors working at arm’s length from Government. The distributors generally aim to ensure a wide geographical reach, but ultimately funding is distributed where there is greater need and impact. The Fourth Licence to run the National Lottery is due to come into force in 2023. Bidding criteria have not yet been set.

Video Games: Prizes

Thangam Debbonaire: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether his Department has plans to regulate paid-for random prizes in computer and video games.

Margot James: We remain committed to ensuring that consumers are properly protected and not exploited by aggressive commercial practices. Game purchasers are protected by general consumer law such as the Consumer Protection from Unfair Trading Regulations 2008. This includes a requirement on businesses not to subject anyone to misleading or aggressive marketing practices, or, for example, direct exhortation to buy products, including in-game purchases of paid-for random prizes. The Government is aware of concerns surrounding this issue and will continue to gather and look closely at any evidence. We also welcome the recent introduction by the VSC Ratings Board and PEGI of a new label for video games to warn parents where they include the opportunity to make in-game purchases.

Prime Minister

Older People

Layla Moran: To ask the Prime Minister, if she will make it her policy to appoint a Government tsar for elderly people with responsibility for (a) protecting the rights of pensioners, (b) combating ageism in society and (c) the provision of services to pensioners.

Mrs Theresa May: The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, the Rt Hon. Member for Hastings and Rye (Amber Rudd) and the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, the Rt Hon. Member for West Suffolk (Matt Hancock), are responsible for a wide range of issues affecting older people

David Cameron

Layla Moran: To ask the Prime Minister, whether any of her staff have (a) met or (b) held discussions with former Prime Minister, David Cameron, in the last two months.

Layla Moran: To ask the Prime Minister, whether she has held discussions with former Prime Minister, David Cameron, in the last two months.

Mrs Theresa May: I refer the Hon. Member to the answer I gave from the Oral Statement to the House on the 17 December 2018 on December European Council, Official Report, Column 552.

EU Common Foreign and Security Policy

Keith Vaz: To ask the Prime Minister, what assurances she sought from European leaders on continuing cooperation in matters of foreign policy at the recent European Council meeting.

Mrs Theresa May: I refer the Rt Hon. Gentleman to the Oral Statement I gave to the House on the 17 December 2018 on December European Council, Official Report, Column 527.

Women and Equalities

Low Pay: Females

Jim Shannon: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what steps her Department is taking to tackle low pay for women.

Victoria Atkins: Everyone in the UK should have the opportunity to progress and fulfil their potential in employment, to benefit both the individual and the wider economy. Despite accounting for just under half of all employees in the UK, women are more likely to be in low paid work than men.The Government has an aspiration to end low pay, and next year it will set out the Low Pay Commission’s remit from 2020 onwards.The National Living Wage (NLW) benefits a higher proportion of women than men. In April 2019, the NLW will increase by 4.9% to £8.21. This is an increase to a full-time minimum wage worker’s annual earnings of over £690, making progress on the government’s objective for the NLW to reach 60% of median earnings by 2020.We will be publishing a strategy in the Spring on gender equality and economic empowerment that will include consideration of how we can best support low paid women.

Candidates: Females

Giles Watling: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities, what steps the Government is taking to encourage women to participate in politics.

Victoria Atkins: One of our aims for the Women’s Suffrage Centenary was to ensure more women participate in politics and decision-making. Whether that is to vote, to campaign or to stand for election, women must be there making the decisions.Over the course of this year, the Centenary Fund has supported nearly 320 small and large projects. Many of them are designed to encourage participation by offering women across the country information and training to take part in civic society at all levels.

Castes: Discrimination

Bob Blackman: What progress the Government has made on repealing the duty under the amendment to section 9 of the Equality Act 2010 in relation to caste discrimination.

Penny Mordaunt: We intend to legislate to repeal the caste duty as soon as we have a suitable legislative vehicle and parliamentary time, and we expect to publish guidance on caste and the Equality Act before the summer. My Hon Friend will know that I have been determined to ensure this issue is resolved since I became Minister for Women and Equalities.